This memoir describes the author’s childhood in rural Puerto Rico in the 1950s and Brooklyn, New York from 1963 to 1964. Esmeralda Santiago tells the story of her family’s struggles and triumphs, both personal and social, as her single mother, her siblings, and she live with and through injury, welfare, loss of loved ones, loss of love, and leaving their homeland of Puerto Rico for the United States. Themes revolve around family roles and relationships, national identity, social classes, personal identity, and autonomy.

Lessons address character analysis, imagery, symbolism, and figurative language. In this unit, students will read analytically, analyze character, research history and social issues, compare poetry to the author’s ideas and feelings, create character profiles, discuss in small and large groups, write personal essays and journals, map, and chart