In Julia Alvarez’s first young adult novel, Before we were Free, we meet 12-year-old Anita de la Torre. Like many young children, she is curious and talkative. Having lived a comfortingly protected life thus far, Anita is sweetly innocent and naïve. Her life seems rather normal. She annoys her older sister and has a crush on her new American neighbor Sam. However all of this will change quickly. The story takes place in the Dominican Republic during the months leading up to the assassination of the infamous dictator Trujillo. As the events of the story unfold, Anita’s life is forever changed. Anita comes to realize that “El Jefe” is in fact, not the hero she believed him to be, but a dictator who threatens her family and friends, disappearing and torturing many Dominicans. She is forced to grapple with what is right and wrong, as family members flee the country, while others are forced into hiding. Her life is literally invaded by El Jefe’s Secret Police, the SIM. Anita’s diary, a place where she once could pour out her heart, becomes a danger. She is forced to erase all she has written so that it will not give anything away if found by the SIM. It is here that we encounter one of the most powerful parts of the novel. As Anita tries to deal with the fact that her world is crumbling around her, she loses her words. She falls into a silence she can’t seem to break. She finds she can’t remember words anymore, she can’t speak. The curious young girl nicknamed cotorrita (literally a chatterbox or parrot) is silenced by what happens around her. When forced into hiding with her mother, Anita goes back to her diary, writing again so that if they don’t survive, their story is left behind. As Anita begins to write again, sharing their story, her voice comes back. Anita survives, eventually making her way to the United States to join other family members in New York City. The overthrow of the Trujillo regime cost her dearly. She’s no longer the innocent child we met at the beginning of the story, but instead a survivor--an example of how we must fight to find our voices again, how we can persevere to put the pieces of our life back together again. While Anita’s life is much different than the average child in the United States, students will have no trouble identifying with the engaging character that Alvarez offers us. Her beautiful imagery, literary style, and historical content make it a book well worth reading in our classrooms. Check out our free Educator’s Guide for the book at http://teachinglatinamericathroughlit...
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, takes place in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s. The main character, Anita de la Torre grew up learning that El Jefe (The King) was a kind and caring man that loved the Dominican Republic and the people there. In actuality El Jefe didn’t care for his people and only liked his position because he could do anything he wanted and get away with it. Anita’s family (grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles) all lived on one compound until one day her uncle, Tio Tony went missing. That’s when her life changed forever. Her grandparents were the first to move to Nueva York, then both sets of cousins left. Only her family and missing uncle were still left in the Dominican Republic. Once the SIM (secret police) took a liking to her family then ransacked her family’s home and watched them continuously for two straight weeks Anita knew something was up. Her uncle’s old house suddenly became occupied by someone who came out only in the dark of night. Later she found it was her missing Uncle and that seemed to kickstart the code words and mysterious late night conversations and open hatred of El Jefe. Once the SIM found the seed of the revolt against the dictator was planted by her family they all had to go into hiding, but unfortunately the seed was in her father’s car. This lead to her father and uncle being taken away to the prisons and torture centers. She, her mother, and brother escaped without harm and met up with her sister and grandparents in Nueva York hoping against hope that her father and uncle would come join them. Until that fateful day the friend from the American embassy came, she thought they were coming.
What do You think about Before We Were Free (2004)?
I liked this book and I think it was an interesting way to engage young adults and young girls in world politics. Growing up in the United States, it is often difficult for us to understand the lifestyles and conditions for people under dictatorships. The main character in this coming of age novel is a young girl, Anita, who experiences all the excitement and mystery of childhood, and the confusion and fear of growing up, mixed in with confusion as she learns about her government through her dissident parents in 1960s Dominican Republic.Really recommend for young adult girls
—Heidi
"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." -Anita, Before We Were Free. This is the story of a young girl, named Anita, growing up in the Domincan Republic during the rein of the dictator, Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe). While Anita experiences the normal trials of growing up, her father and uncle join in a movement to overthrow the current government and liberate the country. Along the way, we see Anita
—Lindsey Duncan
Before We Were Free I recommend this book because, it has a unique plotline, and is full of interesting characters and settings. The book kept me turning pages, because it was addicting and the events were fascinating throughout the story. This book is full of suspense, making me turn the pages to see what happened next. I am not done reading this book yet, but am close to the ending. I relate to the character Anita, because just like her I am sort of caring for my family and my friends. Just like her, I am also at times childish, and am very clueless of my surroundings. The plot was suspenseful, and had new unexpected events constantly, which kept me on my toes too see the outcomes. The theme was well developed, because it is not super cliched, like other stories. I personally responded to this book with a sort of sad feeling. This book is full of sad events, that make you think about how you would feel. Especially because the main character Anita, was around my age. I learned from this book, that you should always be brave, and stand up for your anything that you don’t believe is right. This changed the way that I thought about history, and how cruel dictatorship was. All that power in one person's hands, is too much to account for.
—Anthony Cho
