When I Was Puerto Rican is a 1993 autobiography written by Puerto Rican native Esmeralda Santiago. It is the first of three installments, [1] followed by Almost a Woman and The Turkish Lover. This first book begins by describing Santiago's life in Macún, a sector of Candelaria barrio in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. [2]

2006年2月28日 · In the first of her three acclaimed memoirs, Esmeralda brilliantly recreates her tremendous journey from the idyllic landscape and tumultuous family life of her earliest years, to translating for her mother at the welfare office, and to high honors at Harvard. WARNING: California’s Proposition 65.

Esmeralda Santiago's When I was Puerto Rican Chapter Summary. Find summaries for every chapter, including a When I was Puerto Rican Chapter Summary Chart to help you understand the book.

1993年9月20日 · When I Was Puerto Rican is the memoir of Esmeralda Santiago, and her journey from a poor young girl living in rural Puerto Rico, to a successful writer based in New York City. Her story begins in a tin house in Macun.

In the prologue, an adult Negi inspects guavas in a New York grocery store and tells the reader how to properly eat one. She says she had her last guava on the day she left Puerto Rico, and begins her story. Negi's family comes to Macún, Puerto Rico when she's four years old.

Puerto Ricans began pushing for independence in the early 1800s, which led Spain to encourage non-Spanish Europeans to settle in Puerto Rico and quiet the unrest by diluting the dissenting populations.

“When I Was Puerto Rican” appeared in my life when I craved a connection to my family and their history, and it delivers a powerful American story.” ― New York Times “This coming-of-age memoir will reintroduce you to childhood...

Esmeralda Santiago moved to Brooklyn from Puerto Rico with her mother and several of her brothers and sisters when she was 13, leaving behind her father and life in the country. After being...

2010年12月15日 · Growing up, Esmeralda learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of the tree frogs in the mango groves at night, the taste of the delectable sausage called morcilla, and the formula for ushering a dead baby's soul to heaven.