“The moonlit vine” Elizabeth Santiago

Rated 5 stars ***** Tu Books (Lee & Low Books). 2023. 360 p. (Includes “Author’s note,” “Anacaona and Caonabo ancestry,” “Key moments in Puerto Rican history,” “Inspiring Boriqueños,” and “References.”)

The native Arawak lived in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica, before Columbus and his conquistadores arrived. There are several theories on how they became known as Taíno including that they shouted “tayno,” meaning “good people,” to an incoming Spanish ship. Over the next 25 years their population was severely decimated through disease, massacre, and slavery, reducing their numbers from millions to 32,000 by the year 1514. It had been thought the Taíno were extinct, but a 2018 National Geographic article explained they assimilated and aren’t extinct because their DNA is found in living people – including yours truly.

Knowing this background information made “The moonlit vine” especially interesting as I read about fourteen-year-old Taína’s quest to defend herself and her family from injustices in their neighborhood and schools. Taína comes from a long line of proud Taíno women, direct descendants of Anacaona, a powerful leader murdered by Spaniards soon after Columbus’ arrival on Haiti. Anacaona gave an amulet and zemi to her daughter for protection, with instructions for them to be passed on through time to women in her family who would remember the knowledge of their proud past as their future power.

Over the centuries these precious artifacts and memories of their heritage were passed on until Taína received them from her grandmother. Though fearful at first, she soon learned of the powerful strength of her ancestors in a life-or-death situation.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Taína’s story, as well as historical chapters of women who came after Anacaona, kept me riveted.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

“Las Madres” Esmeralda Santiago

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Borzoi Books (Alfred A. Knopf). To be published August 8, 2023.

Luz is 57 years old and is a shadow of the vibrant girl and star ballerina she used to be when she was fifteen and lived with her loving parents in Puerto Rico. After a car accident killed them and left her with a devastating brain injury, life forever changed. Over time her brain healed enough to allow Luz to regain many functions, but an inability to remember her past and regressing into daily coma-like fugues became her new norm.

Luz’s memories appear in flashes she quickly forgets. After the accident she was taken care of by her grandparents as well as Ada and Shirley, two women who worked for her grandfather. When both grandparents died, they cared for her as if she was their daughter. When she was 16 years old, they moved to New York where she later married and had a daughter. When Marysol was 5 years old her father was killed and Luz was shot, so Ada and Shirley took care of her just like they’d done for her mother.

“Las Madres” is a story of love and strength from 1975 to 2017. It’s a woman desperately trying to remember who she was. It’s a daughter trying to connect to a mother with attacks that render her almost comatose. It’s an unbreakable bond between Ada, Shirley, their daughter Graciela, and Marysol. It’s the story of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Their stories, and what it means to be Puerto Rican, will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War” Talia Aikens-Nuñez

Rated 4 stars **** ARC. ebook. Zest Books (Lerner Publishing). Published May 2, 2023. (Includes a “Timeline,” “Glossary,” “Source notes,” “Selected Bibiography,” “Further Information” and an “Index.”)

In 1950 the 65th Infantry Regiment, a segregated unit made up of soldiers from across Puerto Rico, were sent to fight in Korea for several years. Aiken-Nuñez narrates the brave ways in which they conducted themselves in battle, their many medals of bravery, the prejudice they faced, and the admiration they gained from a grateful Nation. By the end of the war prejudice led to the court-martial of 91 of these soldiers for something caused by the failures of Army brass. As readers learn what bravery, pride and being a member of the 65th meant to these men, they can understand the pain and confusion they felt after being emasculated on the field of battle. The wrongs they endured weren’t fully righted until 2014 when President Barack Obama honored the Regiment, and the few remaining survivors, with the Congressional Gold Medal.

I was interested in reading this book because my uncle served in the Korean War, in a different regiment since he lived off Island, and had recounted some of the prejudice he faced for being a Puerto Rican Afro-Latino in a White man’s Army. Readers will find numerous explanations for technical Army terms, with photographs, maps and copious endnotes included to enhance their understanding.

Recommended for ages 16 and older.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“A woman of endurance” Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Amistad Press (HarperCollins). To be published April 12, 2022.

In 1836, when she was 18 years old, Keera was captured from the home she shared with her mother in Yorubaland, West Africa. She and hundreds of others were forced onto a ship, where they endured an agonizing ocean crossing. All were beaten and starved, while every man on deck abused the women and young boys. After being sold into slavery and given the name of Pola, she spent years working sugarcane on a plantation in Piñones, Puerto Rico. There she was sexually abused and tortured regularly by individuals and groups of men. Forced to bear children who were taken away as soon as they were born Pola lost her faith in Yemayá, the water goddess who was supposed to give her strength and energy. After 13 years she was desperate enough to escape, but doing so led to recapture, a severe beating that left her almost dead, and resale to another sugarcane plantation in Carolina.

Pola’s new life in Carolina and the roles she plays there are very different from what she experienced at her former plantation, but she is constantly on the offensive. After having been abused for so many years it was very difficult for her to trust others, or to even love herself. The other slaves take her under their wings to help her learn they are her family, and help her get past her former life so she can become the strong, independent woman she was meant to be.

Told through flashbacks and the present time, Llanos-Figueroa’s powerful story of an almost broken woman who worked hard to not let her spirit be fully crushed by her abusers is an amazing read. Learning about slave life in Puerto Rico through Pola’s words in “A woman of endurance” was painful, but it made me proud of my Afro-Latina Puerto Rican heritage. The next time I travel to Puerto Rico I’ll visit Piñones and Loíza with fresh eyes, and look forward to learning more about my Afro-Latina culture through the descendants of Yorubaland who still live on La Isla.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Velorio” Xavier Navarro Aquino

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. HarperVia (HarperCollins Publishers). To be published January 4, 2022.

Hurricane Maria has destroyed Puerto Rico. In the mountain town of Utuado, Camila, her sister Marisol and her mother are cut off from water, electricity or any form of help. The Puerto Rican government has long been corrupt, so no one is reaching the trapped and dying. Marisol suffocated in a mudslide while they were sheltering, but Camila refuses to believe she’s gone and won’t let go of her maggot infested, rotting body.

Lines for gasoline stretch for miles, and desperation is reaching a fever pitch. Those who managed to escape before the hurricane are presumed dead in the massive flooding that struck parts of the island, but no one knows how many are lost. Hopelessness and chaos is fodder to Urayoán, who has convinced his gang of homeless young boys that he’s their messiah and will lead everyone to a promised land called Memoria. There he offers food, water, and gasoline to supplicants, but they must do whatever he commands. What those entering Memoria don’t know is that it’s only a matter of time before their new “haven” becomes as much of a nightmare as the rest of the island.

Through multiple viewpoints, Aquino uses flashbacks, the present time and traces of “Lord of the flies” to trace a story of devastation, sorrow, hopelessness, murder and betrayal. The strong love Puerto Ricans feel for their land as well as the bond of friendship are interwoven in this powerful book to give hope when there seems to be none.

Recommended for Adults.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Olga dies dreaming” Xochitl Gonzalez

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Flatiron Books. To be published January 4, 2022.

Blanca and her husband had been members of the Young Lords, the Puerto Rican equivalent of the Black Panthers, working hard to help their communities and free Puerto Rico from colonial rule. After 13 years Blanca didn’t like her ordinary life so abandoned her family to continue her work of freeing people from oppressors. Their grandmother raised her children and, though letters arrived over the years filled with advice about not falling into the ways of the bourgeois ruling class, they did not erase Olga and Prieto’s feelings of abandonment.

Twenty-seven years later Prieto has become a Congressman, while Olga is a successful wedding planner. When Hurricane Maria brought Puerto Rico into the news the siblings discovered a new love for their familial land, but it also brought their extremely radicalized mother back into their lives. She is fully committed to winning back Puerto Rico for its people and, with thousands of foot soldiers at her command; her plans will have a profound impact on her children’s lives. Ties of familial love, wrapped in a willingness to learn how to really live, will play a part in helping to make this broken family whole again.

Through flashbacks in Blanca’s letters, readers are educated about the struggles Puerto Rico has endured over the years for independence, as well as her relationship with the United States. Hurricane Maria’s impact, as well as its aftermath, are also documented.

I have no idea what the author meant by the obscure title, nor am I a fan of the cover art. However I am definitely a fan of the book’s contents.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Silver Meadows summer” Emma Otheguy

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers. Published April 30, 2019. 223 p. (Includes “A note on the poets.”)

When eleven-year-old Carolina’s father loses his job, she and her family are forced to leave nature and their beloved Puerto Rico behind and move in with her uncle, aunt and cousin in their new and sterile home in upstate New York. Carolina dearly misses her past life, but is not allowed to express any dissatisfaction in front of her mother. Her fingers itch to capture her memories of Puerto Rico in paint, but have to settle for drawing since her mother feels being older means she needs to leave behind her imagination and painting. Every now and then her father still quotes poetry to her, but his days are now filled with looking for a job.

Her thirteen-year-old cousin Gabriela has her own set of friends, who spend their time talking, texting and gossiping about things of which Carolina has no interest. They have been attending Silver Meadows day camp for years, where her mother expects her to hang out with them. Instead Carolina becomes friends with Jennifer, who they deem to be an unacceptable misfit. After Carolina stumbles upon a deserted cabin in the woods, she and Jennifer spend days sneaking away from camp to transport it into a home good enough for fairies and elves. There, in the woods, Carolina can feel the beauty of Puerto Rico again, as she relaxes in nature and begins to feel as if she can accept her new life.

Unfortunately life has a way of adding twists and turns, leaving Carolina and Jennifer facing the possibility of forever losing their idyllic cabin. It will take all their ingenuity, and help from an unexpected source, to achieve a smooth road again.

Recommended for ages 10-14.

“Never look back” Lilliam Rivera

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Bloomsbury YA (Bloomsbury Publishing). To be published September 1, 2020.

Seventeen-year-old Pheus is ready for a Bronx summer with his dad, his guitar, and his friends. He’s not ready to commit to anyone or anything unless fun is involved. Nicknamed “El Nuevo Nene de la Bachata” due to his mad skills on the guitar and his singing, Pheus is ready for a great summer.

Eury’s father left when she was just a little girl, but Ato understood her despair. As her only friend they spent a lot of time together, but he wanted more from her. After the devastation of their home by Hurricane Maria, she and her mom moved to Florida. Though Ato followed her from Puerto Rico, fear of him and what he would do next began to change her behavior. No one would believe she was seeing a spirit and, since her mom didn’t believe in therapists, Eury was sent to visit her aunt and regroup.

Pheus never expected to meet someone like Eury. Hopeless against Ato’s tormenting spirit Eury felt relief when she met Pheus. Together their love enables them to climb mountains and forge seas of chaos and uncertainty.

As a Puerto Rican Latina and New Yorker, I could hear the music, feel the beat, and understand the Spanish phrases that flowed throughout Pheus and Eury’s stories. Publicity material calls it a retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice but, since I don’t have familiarity with that myth, I can’t tell whether or not it matches. I CAN tell you I believe it should be in the running for a 2021 Pura Belpré award – especially now that the judging panel has been expanded to include YALSA. Listen in at 44 min. 55 sec. to hear the announcement made at the 2020 ALA Youth Media Awards. Remember that you read it here first!

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“With the fire on high” by Elizabeth Acevedo

Rated 5 stars ***** 2019.HarperTeen. 392 p.

Seventeen-year-old Emoni Santiago has been living with her grandmother since her father abandoned her after her mother died in childbirth. At age fourteen she got pregnant but, with her ‘Buela’s help, has been raising little Emma who she calls Babygirl. She struggles with school, work, and her relationship with Emma’s dad and her father. The fear she feels for the unknown after graduation, and her feelings for handsome Malachi combine to complicate her life.

Ever since she was a little girl Emoni has loved to cook and has gotten so good her grandmother insists she’s magical. All she’s ever wanted is to become a chef so, when a culinary arts class starts up at school, she’s fearful she won’t be able to handle the extra work load. Through sacrifice, hard work and stepping out in strength not fear, Emoni learns that maybe dreams can come true as she works towards keeping an even keel in her life despite her circumstances.

As Emoni walks a fine line between her many responsibilities, the love she has for family and her Afro-Boricua culture shine through in her story. Though written in prose, “With the fire on high” has its own poetry in sentences like “…Babygirl is front and center, the candlelight we read the world by.” (p. 53) and “The world is a turntable that never stops spinning…” (p. 60) Acevedo fans will relate to Emoni’s voice, and the beautifully designed book jacket is an added plus.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

“Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural: Sofi y el mágico mural musical” Raquel M. Ortiz

Rated 4 stars **** Piñata Books (Arte Público Press). 2015. (Includes a Glossary and Information about the Mural.)

A cold, wintry day in the city is transformed for a young girl when she is sent on an errand by her mother. While passing a mural of Puerto Rican symbols, she finds herself transported into Old San Juan. There she experiences Puerto Rican music, dance and culture, including meeting a Vejigante who had previously filled her with fear.

This bilingual fantastical tale is a light foray into Puerto Rican culture and symbolism, allowing readers to “taste” parts of the Island and learn more about this Caribbean treasure.

Recommended for ages 6-9.