My Beloved World Characters

Gallego is Abuelita’s husband, but not the father of her children; they married in Puerto Rico when Papi was a young teenager. He’s a musical man and runs the record player at Abuelita’s Saturday night parties. He dies of Parkinson’s disease several years after Papi’s death, which devastates Abuelita.

Mami’s mother was unwell, though it’s unclear what affliction plagued her. By the time Mami, her last child, was born, she was mentally unwell in addition to physically unwell. Mami’s father also leaves her around this time. She dies when Mami is still very young.

Father Gigante is the priest at St. Athanasius, where Sonia attends church with Titi Aurora as a young person. Sonia discovers in high school that Father Gigante is more than just a priest; he’s an activist for tenants’ rights, and Miss Katz describes him as a freedom fighter.

Carmelo is a cute boy at Sonia’s middle school. He befriends Sonia and keeps other kids from bullying her. She helps him with his schoolwork, though she never lets him cheat off of her.

Titi Carmen is Sonia’s aunt, Tío Benny’s wife and Nelson’s mother. She gets Sonia a job at a women’s clothing store when Sonia is in high school, around the time that she and Tío Benny divorce.

Professor Weiss is a professor of history at Princeton and the first female head of the department. She continues Miss Katz’s project of asking Sonia to analyze history, not just regurgitate facts, and she calls out Sonia’s poor English grammar.

Felix Lopez is one of Sonia’s closest friends at Yale. He’s Puerto Rican and from East Harlem. Sonia describes him as having a big heart and as a person committed to helping others.

Rudy Aragon is one of Sonia’s closest friends at Yale. He and Sonia co-chair the minority student group YALA, and his goal after law school is to become a high profile and high-earning lawyer.

Drew Ryce is one of Sonia’s closest friends at Yale. He runs the bar for grad students and grudgingly promotes Sonia from bouncer to bartender to avoid arguing with her about sex discrimination.

Margarita Rosa is Sonia’s friend at Princeton. She’s also Puerto Rican and grew up in the Bronx, which is in part why she and Sonia get along immediately. She encourages Sonia to join Acción Puertorriqueña.

Clemente D’Alessio and Scott Hyman are the defendants in the series of child pornography cases that Sonia prosecutes in her final months at the New York City DA’s office. Despite the heinousness of their crimes, they only go to prison for a few years each.

Titi Maria is Mayo’s first wife. She helped to raise Mami, so after she and Mayo split up, Mami maintains her relationship with Titi Maria. Mami, Sonia, and Junior often stay with her when they visit Puerto Rico.

Bisabuelita Ciriata is Sonia’s paternal great-grandmother, whom she meets in Puerto Rico on one of her summer trips to the island. Bisabuelita had 10 children, including Abuelita.

Senator Moynihan is the New York Democratic senator who appoints Sonia to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Kiley is Junior and Tracey’s oldest daughter, and Sonia’s first niece. Born prematurely at less than two pounds, her birth is a stressful time for the entire family.

Omar is Mami’s second husband. As her first act as a judge of the Court of Appeals, Sonia marries Mami and Omar. The couple then promptly moves to Florida.

Gilmar is Sonia’s best friend in elementary school. He and his family move to California.

Donna Renella is one of the smartest girls in Sonia’s fifth grade class; Sonia asks her how to study.

Professor Winn is the professor at Princeton who facilitates the course on Puerto Rican history.

Ana is Mami’s best friend and Moncho’s wife. She often cares for Sonia and Junior after school.

Moncho is the husband of Mami’s best friend, Ana. Junior idolizes him when he’s a child.

Monsignor Hart is the head of Blessed Sacrament.

Carmin is Mami’s first friend in the Women’s Army Corps.

George Pavia is the managing partner at Pavia & Harcourt.

Tracey is Junior’s wife and Kiley’s mother. She’s Polish.