“Alvarez takes her readers on an emotional journey as we follow Anita through her thoughts of confusion, sorrow, and fear as she strives to understand and survive in a world that is much too grown up for her. Alvarez’s words held a lyricism, that while still appropriate speak for an 11 year old, captivated me in a way most books for young adults do not. Her story is a tragic one that is certainly hard to imagine for those who have lived in America their whole lives. She sees things with a gentle naivety that is both hard to read when you understand the severity of what is happening, but makes you glad for her innocence during some of the harder scenes. Alvarez at a book signing that I worked at and I instantly wanted to read one of her books, so when given the option for school, I picked up Before We Were Free. I related easily to Anita, having been called talkative all my life. I am not usually a reader of historical fiction but this book reaches out and grabs you. Anita battles through normal teenage experiences – fighting with her older sister, being told to shush during important conversations, and feeling like a “grown-up” but not being treated like one – while simultaneously experiencing the resistance movement against El Jefe in the 1960s.
Her world is rocked after her last remaining extended family is suddenly shipped off to New York City, while her Uncle Toni is still missing.
“It’s like my whole world is coming undone, but when I write, my pencil is a needle and thread, and I’m stitching the scraps back together.”Įleven-year-old Anita grew up believing that she was supposed to love El Jefe (Rafael Trujillo), the Dictator of the Dominican Republic. Module 5: Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
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