BEFORE WE WERE FREE by Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez, Before We Were Free (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002).

Julia Alvarez, Before We Were Free, read by the author (Random House Audio Publishing Group, 2004).

Also available on Kindle and Nook. Spanish translation (Antes de ser libres) available as book, on CD and Nook.

(HISTORICAL NOVEL)

Recommended by Wilda Morris

Julia Alvarez’ father was involved in an underground movement seeking to overthrow the brutal dictatorship of General Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. The secret police (SIM) had captured and tortured some members of the group in 1960. With the help of a friend, Alvarez’s father was given fellowship in a surgical specialty, so he was able to flee the Dominican Republic with his immediate family. Alvarez says there is a tradition in Latin America of survivors giving testimony to those who die in the struggle for freedom and justice. This book, though a novel, is her testimony (testimonio) in honor of her family members and others who fought the bloody dictatorship, especially for those who died.

Anita’s aunt, uncle and cousins flee to the U.S., where they join other members of the extended family who have already gone New York City. Anita, her parents and her older sister (who views Anita as a little child, hardly worthy of attention, remain in the family compound, along with Chucha, their Haitian maid. Anita’s young, unmarried uncle (Tony) is in hiding.

Anita is not quite twelve when the story begins. She is not aware of the evils of the administration. Trujillo’s picture is in the classroom at the American School she attends, and also in her home, so she assumes he is good. Alvarez helps us see through the eyes of this young girl the loneliness created when families are broken up; SIM’s searches of her home, her fear for her father, uncle and brother; the strains on the relationship between Anita and her mother when they are in hiding in a closet for an extended period of time; the betrayal of the rebellion by an army officer who had promised to announced the end of the dictatorship once he had proof that Trujillo was dead; and the sacrifices some people make to protect others.

The book provides some interesting insights into the cultures of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Also, Anita’s relationship with the son of a US envoy provides some comparisons between Dominican and US culture.

Before We Were Free is a historical novel; it is also a coming-of-age novel. Anita has to manage her transition from child to young adult under horrific circumstances. Will she be able to make and keep the promise her father asks of her, to spread her wings and fly?

I highly recommend this book to anyone from teenage to 110.