Growing up Puerto Rican : 20 Puerto Rican Authors Write in Fiction and Essay about Childhood

Twenty essays and short stories by established and new Puerto Rican authors, including Judith Ortiz Cofer, Rosario Ferre+a7, and Edward Rivera, treat the ambiguities and joys of being a child of both Puerto Rican culture and American society.

In the same series as Growing Up Asian American (1993), Growing Up Native American (1993), and other fine ethnic anthologies, this collection of fiction, memoirs, and essays includes a rich diversity of voices about Puerto Rican childhood and coming-of-age, both in the U.S. and on the island. Among the 20 writers are several established names, such as Judith Ortiz Cofer and Edward Rivera, as well as some new authors. Nearly all are bilingual; six have been translated from the original Spanish. One of the best stories is Abraham Rodriguez's "The Boy without a Flag," about a teenager caught between his loyalty to his father and his American school. Set on the island, JoseLuis Gonzalez's story is about a child poor and outside. As the excellent introduction points out, nearly all the stories are about those for whom home is "neither here nor there." Hazel Rochman

In this collection, 20 modern authors have written about childhood and moving from the isla to the mainland and back and, along the way, toward a Puerto Rican identity. Editor De Jesus (M.A., Brown) divides the fiction and essays into four sections and provides a useful introduction. The section Neither Here Nor There contains Abraham Rodriguez Jr.'s classic "The Boy Without a Flag," in which American identity is questioned. Newer author Rodney Morales humorously depicts Hawaiians and Puerto Ricans overcoming differences through family values in "Ship of Dreams." Throughout, family and survival dominate as themes, sometimes pessimistically. Ivonne Sapia's "Sofia" is a grandmother who practices magic yet leads through faith. The section "Once on This Island" includes the lyrical translation of Ana Lydia Vega's "Liliane's Sunday," about a political massacre. Compared with Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings (LJ 8/95), this book has a narrower range but is well crafted. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Rebecca Martin, Northern Illinois Univ. Lib., DeKalb
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