Coming of Age and Political Consciousness
Before We Were Free follows 12-year-old Anita, a young girl living in the Dominican Republic during the last days of the Trujillo regime. Odd things begin to happen in the fall of 1960, when the last remaining faction of her extended family suddenly flees the country for New York, leaving only Anita, her two siblings, and her parents in the family compound—and a swarm of frightening government agents lurking outside the gates. As the…
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Adulthood, Childhood, and Fear
Even as Anita becomes increasingly affected by the political turmoil around her, her life does, to some extent, proceed as usual. This is particularly apparent in the adolescent milestones she reaches, such as falling in love for the first time and having her first kiss, as well as experiencing puberty. Through Anita’s detailed account of her changing body and the emotional turmoil of adolescence, Before We Were Free makes the case that life—and the process…
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Family and Politics
Anita is the youngest child in a close-knit nuclear family, and she adores her many aunts, uncles, and grandparents. But in the months before the novel begins, all of Anita’s extended family immigrates to New York from the Dominican Republic—and right after Anita begins her story, her favorite cousin, Carla, leaves suddenly with her family, too. As Anita learns why her nuclear family hasn’t left yet (Mami and Papi are major players in…
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Storytelling and Trauma
Before We Were Free takes the form of 12-year-old Anita’s diary. While the diary is a way for her to voice her secret dreams and frustrations away from the prying eyes of her parents, it also becomes a record of the six months preceding and six months following the assassination of Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic. As Anita comes to rely more and more on her diary to make sense of…
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