Customer Reviews

ONLY IN AMERICA... - By: Lawyeraau, 05 Mar 2006
This is a rich & evocative memoir of the author's chaotic childhood. Growing upin rural Puerto Rico, while often livingin primitive conditions, the author's lush & lyrical prose paints a vivid picture her early life. The flavor & rythms of her island home come alive under her expert hand, creating an unforgettable picture of her early childhood.

The author grew upin a poor family. During her childhood, she livedin Puerto Rico with her unmarried parents, who were always at war with each other, as her father was a somewhat irresponsible philanderer. It was her mother who centered the family & who always sought a better life for all of her children. When an irrevocable break occurred between her parents, her mother moved to New York during the nineteen sixties, eventually settling with her seven childrenin the mean streets of Williamsburg, Brooklynin New York City.

The author details her life's journey from rural Puerto Rico to Brooklyn. The author was transplanted to Brooklyn at the age of thirteen, & her description of her lifein Brooklyn is every bit as interesting as that of her lifein Puerto Rico. Her oftentimes bewildering transition from her native, Spanish speaking Puerto Rico to an English speaking environment is engagingly chronicled. The author takes the reader on her journey through Brooklyn's public school system to the prestigious High School of Performing Arts, where she graduated & went on to attend Harvard University on a scholarship.

This coming of age memoir is so engagingly written that I was left with the desire of wanting to know more about the life of this remarkable woman. I was also very taken with her writing style. So, I went ahead & bought every book that this author has ever written & look forward to reading each & every one.