''When I Was Puerto Rican'' is a 1993 autobiography written by Puerto Rican native

Esmeralda Santiago Esmeralda Santiago (born May 17, 1948)Santiago, Esmeralda. ''"When I was Puerto Rican." Norton Anthology of Latino/a Literature.'' Stavans, Ilan. New York, London: Norton, 2011. 1700-1714. Print. is a Puerto-Rican author known for her narrative me ...

. It is the first of three installments, 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 Toa Baja (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. It details the circumstances that led to her mother bringing her and her siblings to New York. The second part of the book describes Santiago's initial adjustment to life in America. The memoir closes with Santiago's audition to New York's

Performing Arts High School The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was m ...

.http://www.esmeraldasantiago.com/ Esmeralda Santiago Official Website. Accessed March 20, 2013

Plot summary

Esmeralda Santiago is the oldest child her parents have together, although her father has an older daughter she doesn't know about. Her parents' relationship is damaged as her mother suspects her father is having an affair. Amid the drama, one of Esmeralda's siblings, Raymond, gets badly injured in a bicycle accident. Esmeralda's mother decides to move to New York, where she believes the doctors can provide better care for Raymond. In New York, which is filled with challenges for a new family to live easily, Santiago experiences the difficulties of racism and learning a new language. She feels humiliated when her mother, who speaks very little English, brings her to the welfare center to help fill out forms and speak with the social workers. Although life at school is difficult for the siblings, their mother insists that they study so they do not have to work in a factory like she does. The first installment in Santiago's biography closes with her audition to

, an institution offering specialized instruction in dance, theater and cinema.Santiago, Esmeralda. When I Was Puerto Rican. Da Capo Press, 2006.

Critical reception

''When I Was Puerto Rican'' was positively reviewed, with

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

calling it "epic in its own way" and

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

describing it as "artful".

Relevance

According to the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there are 4,623,716 Puerto Rican Americans. The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

website states that in 2011 there were around 52 million

Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...

.https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-90.html US Census Bureau Website. Accessed March 20th, 2013. Santiago's autobiographies describe the complex process of finding an identity as a member of two different cultures.

Editions

Santiago's book is available in paperback, ebook, audiobook, Spanish paperback, and Spanish audiobook editions.

References

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External links

Esmeralda Santiago Official Website

WikiSummaries When I Was Puerto Rican Page

''Sargasso''
a literary magazine from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

Presentation by Santiago on When I Was Puerto Rican'', September 9, 1999
American autobiographies Puerto Rican literature Literature by Hispanic and Latino American women 1993 books