When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago is a memoir of her experiences as a child when she was living in Puerto Rico with her mother Ramona, her father Pablo, and her 6 siblings. Esmeralda takes on more responsibilities, such as caring for the children, when her mother Ramona is forced to escape her father’s violent behavior. They move to New York, but Esmeralda is extremely unhappy and longs for the simplicity of life in Puerto Rico. Despite her unhappiness, Esmeralda does well in school and eventually graduates from Harvard.
The oldest of eleven children, Esmeralda Santiago moved with her mother and siblings to New York City from Puerto Rico during her adolescence. Her memoirs, which include Almost a Woman, chronicle her ...
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Esmeralda Santiago