books 2008: Almost A Woman, by Esmeralda Santiago

[supercheesegirl]

Man, did I read Santiago in the wrong order. I feel like I'm moving backwards through her life. I read The Turkish Lover first, which takes Santiago from when she left her mother's house at 21 to her college graduation in her late 20s; this book takes her from 13 to 21. A lot of the backstory in The Turkish Lover makes more sense now, but this book was even more bittersweet than I think it would have been if I'd read it fresh, because at the end of this book she meets her Turk, and after reading the later book I know just where that ends up. I want to yell at her. I also strongly hope she's working on another memoir, because I want to know what happens to her after college. I could go back further and read her first memoir, When I was Puerto Rican, but I think I might not. I'm not sure if this post made any sense at all.

Comments

[piscosubito.livejournal.com]

Hey! I actually read something you haven't! I read When I Was Puerto Rican, though I can't remember why (I'm sure it was for one of my SU courses, though it's not coming to me right now which). Of course, I'm no help at all because I can't remember a thing about it - the author's name rang a bell when I started reading your post, and then I saw the title, and thought "wow, I've read that book!"
Umm, yeah. Sorry about the lame post. But I felt like I should share. I don't think I hated the book, that's for sure, though it does seem a little odd to take the time to read the first book when you already know where the story goes.

[amedia.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed When I Was Puerto Rican - it's a fascinating and joyous look at the culture, as well as a happy portrait of the author.