When I was Puerto Rican When I was Puerto Rican was published in 1993 and takes an autobiographical approach to Santiago's childhood. It details her life from early childhood and stops at her departure from
Puerto Rico at age 13. She narrates growing up under imperialistic American ideologies that often conflict with her Puerto Rican culture. Aspects like familial relationships, food and coming-of-age are highlighted throughout the piece. Santiago's childhood involved moving from one home to another, specifically from one island to another. This experience shaped her personal identity and influenced her literary work. Santiago's memoir,
When I Was Puerto Rican, presents her Puerto Rican background as a formative aspect of her life, rather than as an obstacle to her later achievements, such as graduating from
Harvard and winning a
Peabody Award. The memoir's openness and vulnerability are central to its impact. Santiago's upbringing in Puerto Rico is revisited from the perspective of someone who has lived in Western culture for over thirty years, without rejecting her past. Her work suggests that Puerto Rican identity is complex and multifaceted, with origins as significant as those of U.S. culture. She resists simplifying her cultural background to fit into a single narrative or to assimilate into dominant ideologies. Santiago does not conform to stereotypes or mainstream expectations in her writing, and she does not present an idealized version of her Puerto Rican upbringing.
When I Was Puerto Rican candidly addresses issues such as misogyny in Puerto Rican culture, but does not use these as reasons to dismiss her overall experiences. Instead, she offers critique while acknowledging the dualities in her identity, rather than reducing herself to a hybrid identity that requires abandoning parts of her background. Santiago writes: “I suppose that my life today is about looking at and trying to come to terms with ifs. Human beings are obsessed with the question of ‘who am I’? For someone like me, issues of identity are weighted and complicated by the event that has defined who I have become, because it was the migration from Puerto Rico to the United States that made me who I am." Santiago extends upon her memoir
When I was Puerto Rican and continues from her late childhood through adolescence in the United States. Santiago demonstrates the plight of
Puerto Rican women living in the United States as they battle cultural identities. pp
Feminist literature Despite Esmeralda Santiago's recognition as an author, she did not begin writing until she was 38 or 39, starting with essays in magazines and local newspapers. Her first draft of
When I Was Puerto Rican was over 700 pages long, which was later condensed into the sequel,
Almost a Woman. The book examines Santiago's adolescence and her experience of becoming a woman in a cultural context different from that of previous generations in her family. In an interview, Santiago discussed why Puerto Rican writers often emphasize connections to their ancestors and the matriarchal line in their work. She attributes this to being raised by strong women who, despite limited resources, instilled ambition and resilience. Santiago identifies her mother as a significant influence on her writing. Through her work, Santiago contributes to discussions of feminism that consider both cultural and gender identities. For women of color, femininity and racial identity are interconnected, and Santiago's perspective has influenced Latin feminist literature.
Gender and culture In her memoir, Santiago describes a complex relationship with her mother, including disagreements about her future. For example, Santiago writes, “I would just as soon remain
jamona than shed that many tears over a man." Throughout her work, she examines gender expectations present in Puerto Rican culture. Santiago's approach to feminism and independence is sometimes described by others as Americanization, though she addresses the complexities of cultural influence and does not attribute her perspective solely to Western ideas. Her writing explores the negotiation between cultural backgrounds and personal beliefs without rejecting her Puerto Rican heritage. In an interview with Santiago, the interviewer reflected, “She had to understand what it meant to almost be a
señorita, a mature and respectful young woman, and felt the need to find a space between what was expected from her by U.S standards and what was expected from her by Puerto Rican standards. "Santiago states that she chooses to "write for women. I don't care if men read my work... It's women's lives I'm interested in." Her intention in writing is to bring light to the patriarchal tendencies of Puerto Rican culture, both in the United States and on the island of Puerto Rico. illustrates Santiago's love affair with a
Turkish film-maker, Ulvi, and documents its abusive aspects. The memoir picks up where
Almost a Woman leaves off, and Negi escapes from her mother's home to run away with Ulvi. Ana arrives in
Puerto Rico at the age of 18 in search of power and money but instead faces the harsh realities of slavery on her sugar plantation. She becomes forced to navigate a society in which morality and immorality exist cohesively. In writing
Conquistadora, Santiago researched and explored Puerto Rican history extensively. Puerto Rican records and literature did not include narratives of women, the economically disadvantaged or enslaved peoples. Coming from a poor, rural family, Santiago did not have records of her family's history, and
Conquistadora is an imagined example of what her history could have been. Santiago also touches on the devastating impact of slavery on the people of
Puerto Rico; something often glanced over by popular literature as some considered slavery in
Puerto Rico to be less severe than in other nations. Unlike many of her other pieces, the book is catered towards children but like her other pieces, it brings greater societal awareness to Puerto Rican culture and experiences. •
Las Christmas, a collection of stories about the holidays by twenty-five
Latino authors, was edited by Santiago. •
Las Mamis: Favorite Latino Authors Remember Their Mothers is a collection of stories about author's mothers and was edited by Santiago. • The screenplays
Beverly Hills Supper Club and
Button, Button. • Santiago is a contributor to the anthologies
Home: American Writers Remember Rooms of Their Own and Perspectivas Sobre Puerto Rico en Homenaje a Muñoz Rivera y Muñoz Marín, Fundacíón Luis Muñoz Marín. ==Impact==