AMERICA'S DREAM

by Esmeralda Santiago ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

Puerto Rican--born first-novelist Santiago (the memoir When I Was Puerto Rican, 1993) gives a contemporary twist to the immigrant experience as she limns the plight of a woman escaping an abusive man to pursue her dreams. Am‚rica Gonzalez was an unmarried teenage mother, as her own mother, Ester, was before her, so when 14-year-old daughter Rosalinda runs away with her boyfriend, Am‚rica fears the worst. A housekeeper at a hotel in Puerto Rico, she cleans up after rich guests, dreaming of making a better life for Rosalinda. Her daughter soon comes home, and though she is not pregnant, she and Am‚rica fight constantly--fights exacerbated by Correa, Rosalinda's irresponsible father, who insists on interfering in the way Am‚rica raises their daughter. A married man with a family, Correa continues to see Am‚rica, whom he insists is his true love. But Am‚rica's love for Correa has been destroyed by his increasingly violent abuse, assaults triggered by alcohol and jealousy. When the Leveretts, an American family vacationing at the hotel, offer Am‚rica a job in New York taking care of their two children, she accepts and begins planning her journey without telling Correa. Once there, she finds life in the Westchester household not only lonely but less than perfect: The Leveretts work long hours, often quarrel, and seem unable to enjoy their home or their children. Am‚rica begins making plans to bring Rosalinda to the States, but Correa, who's discovered his lover's whereabouts, calls to say he's coming to take her back. In a nail-biting climax, Am‚rica finally frees herself from Correa and is at last able to assert her ""right to live life as she chooses."" Santiago's acute eye and feel for the telling detail make this a work of fine reportage, as well as an engrossing if often somber tale with a quiet but always tenacious heroine.

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: 0060928263

Page Count: 336

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories: FICTION