When Was When I Was Puerto Rican Set?

What is the setting of When I Was Puerto Rican?

When I Was Puerto Rican tells the story of Esmeralda Santiago, called “Negi” by her family, as she moves from Puerto Rico to New York City and comes of age. ... Her family moves into a wooden shack in Macún, Puerto Rico, from Santurce, a bustling suburb of San Jose, Puerto Rico.

Who wrote when I was Puerto Rican?

Esmeralda Santiago is the author of two memoirs, When I Was Puerto Rican and The Turkish Lover, and the novel Conquistadora. A resident of Westchester County, New York, she is married to filmmaker Frank Cantor and is the mother of two adult children, jazz guitarists Lucas and Ila.

How old is Esmeralda in When I Was Puerto Rican?

The protagonist and narrator of the book. Negi's real name is Esmeralda; she was given “Negi” as a nickname as an infant because her skin was nearly black. She's the first child that Mami and Papi have together and is four years old when her memoir begins.

When was Puerto Rican?

After centuries of Spanish rule, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States in 1898 and has been largely self-governing since the mid-20th century.

Why does Esmeralda hate Brooklyn?

The judges thought that Esmeralda's Puerto Rican identity made her special, although Esmeralda thought that she didn't get in because she wasn't being “American” enough. So she hates Brooklyn and in Manhattan where the school is, Esmeralda will be away from Brooklyn a lot.

What is the theme of When I Was Puerto Rican?

The main theme of the story is identity .

Throughout the book, Negi struggles to find a stable cultural identity which will allow her to live in the United States while still retaining her Puerto Rican heritage. ... Whenever Negi looks inside herself, she finds deep rifts in her cultural and ethnic identity.

When were Puerto Rican quotes important?

Preview — When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

“ What doesn't kill you, makes you fat .” “I dressed to their murmurs in the other room, their voices soft but strained, and I wondered if men ever talked like this, if their sorrows ever spilled into these secret cadences.”

What is the Lexile level of When I Was Puerto Rican?

What does Negi not want to be when she grows?

Barone, a guidance counselor, calls Negi to his office to ask her what she wants to be when she grows up. Negi think that she's wanted to be a jíbara and a cartographer , but hadn't thought about it since moving to Brooklyn.

How old is Negi in When I Was Puerto Rican?

The memoir opens in the early 1950s. Esmeralda Santiago, called “Negi,” and her family have just moved to Macún, Puerto Rico. Negi is four years old .

What is Esmeralda Santiago doing now?

Santiago currently lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband.

What are Puerto Ricans mixed with?

As a result, Puerto Rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing of the Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian races that shared the island.

Where did Puerto Ricans come from?

Additionally ancestry for the majority of Puerto Ricans comes from the Taino people , the Indigenous pre-Columbian inhabitants of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has also received immigration from other parts of Spain such as Catalonia as well as from other European countries such as France, Ireland, Italy and Germany.

Why does the US own Puerto Rico?

In 1898, following the Spanish–American War , the United States acquired Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917, and can move freely between the island and the mainland. ... The U.S. Congress approved a local constitution in 1952, allowing U.S. citizens residing on the Island to elect a governor.