Cuando Era Puertorriqueña (Spanish Edition)

The Kindle dictionary for this book is very deficient. Many words in Spanish are specific to Puerto Rico and it was annoying they weren’t included in the Kindle dictionary. I am a fluent Spanish speaker and have lived more than 10 years all over Latin America yet there were many words, particularly related to food and plants, that were new to me. One of the values of reading on Kindle should be a good glossary of terms. That said, I did enjoy the book and the author’s perspectives on being bi- or even tri-cultural. Some of the Spanish was highly Anglicised. It may be a fault of the translation or maybe it is because Puerto Rican Spanish is that way. So, interesting from a linguistic point of view.

I loved the book and the way Esmeralda writes. Her life is an inspiration to all of us, especially young people. I hope many young people read it and realize how much they have in the USA and that Esmeralda, in spite of her difficult childhood, was able to become the successful woman she became. In addition, I was transported to my childchood where some of my experiences were similar to hers. I immediately bought another book and will continue reading them all.

It took me 7 months to read this book, given my fluency in spanish, or a lack thereof. But I've finished it learning a lot more about the language and Puerto Rican culture. Is it good compared to other books written in spanish? I don't know, this is only the 2nd spanish novel I've read. The first was La Casa en Mango Street. I liked this one better than La Casa en Mango Street because it exposed me to so much that I hadn't been exposed to before, so I give it 5 stars.

En Cuando era puertorriqueña, Esmeralda Santiago nos relata los recuerdos de su infancia en Puerto Rico y sus primeras experiencias al llegar a los Estados Unidos. Es una narración honesta y sencilla que cuenta la historia de una niña que proviene de una familia pobre y numerosa, su despertar a la realidad, el efecto que tiene en ella la complicada relación de sus padres y cómo tiene que enfrentarse a una vida completamente diferente a su llegada a Brooklyn y aprender a vivir entre dos culturas. Es también un homenaje a la belleza natural de la isla, la cocina autóctona y el orgullo y tradiciones de sus gentes. Sin embargo, no es necesario ser puertorriqueño para entender estos retos ni el amor que se siente por la tierra natal. Esta es la historia de muchos inmigrantes de los Estados Unidos, en especial la de los más afortunados, que no sólo superan las adversidades y se acoplan a una nueva vida que puede ser incluso más difícil, sobre todo al comienzo, sino que también logran sus sueños y se ven recompensados por todos sus esfuerzos. En mi opinión hay cierta similitud entre la narrativa de Esmeralda Santiago y la de Julia Álvarez y así como en el caso de Antes de ser libres, me parecen historias escritas especialmente para lectores jóvenes.

Estupendo relato de la autora, se puede experimentar realmente la vida de niña a través de sus ojos y palabras. Gran libro que me permitió conocer mejor la idiosincrasia puertorriqueña.Muy recomendable.

Gracias

muy bueno

I love this book. It is the third time I read it.