Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898

Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Latino, Nuestras Voces shares inspiring Latino stories.

It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mami, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the chickens and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music―the song of the coquí frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi’s tiple guitar. But Paloma’s world begins to change when war arrives on Puerto Rico’s shores. What will happen to their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can’t control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Adriana Erin Rivera is a New York-based author of Puerto Rican descent. Her writing has been published in the New York Metro, Latina Magazine, and Footwear News. She is also a singer and songwriter and has written theatrical pieces that have been performed on New York City stages. A magna cum laude graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she holds a bachelor's degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications. Her debut novel Swing Sets, a coming-of-age story, was inspired by her own inner child. Adriana loves to travel and always enjoys visiting Puerto Rico.<br /><br />Eugenia Nobati was born in Buenos Aires, where she still lives and works. She starts as a Graphic Designer until 1998 when she decides to dedicate herself exclusively to Illustration. Since then she has been drawing and painting everything from postage stamps to packaging, character design and animation backgrounds. Specialized in illustration of children's books, her work has been published in nine countries and more than fifty books.