Hi everyone! Yade here! Hope you are all doing good and are enjoying your summer. In this post I’ll be talking about books that made me feel some sense of pride for Puerto Rico. This prompt is the fourth one of the #BESummer19 from Bookend Events, and it was created by Theresa from The Calico Books But… for this one I’m going to write this post in English and Spanish. So let’s get started!

1. When I was Puerto Rican and Almost a woman by Esmeralda Santiago: Is the story of a girl and how the choices her family makes affects her life and her “culture”. You can see how she feels going to live to another country and what she comes through while living the things most of the Boricuas goes through when they move out. Is really good and a important view of those who leave. –Estos libros nos hablan de la vida de una niña y como las decisions de su familia afectan su vida y cultura. Podemos observar como ella se siente al mudarse a otro país y todo lo que pasa al vivir las situaciones que enfrentan muchos Boricuas al mudarse de Puerto Rico. Es una historia buena e importante ya que vemos el punto de vista de aquellos que dejan la isla.-
2. La Charca by Manuel Zeno Gandía: Okay… this one is one that so much people hate, but is sooo important for our history. Is the story about how Puerto Rico was in the 1800s. How the workers, mostly the farmers of that time, where abused and forced to work in inhumane ways. I know is not a book that you could feel proud to say “Hey that’s the story of my country” but IS the story your country went through to get where it is right now. Btw. La Charca is a place where there is stagnant water, so SPOILER hahaha it represents the stagnant economy of the island. –Okay… este libro es uno que muchas personas odian, pero es tan importante para nuestra historia. Es la historia sobre como Puerto Rico era en los años 1800s. Como los trabajadores de la tierra (agricultores) fueron abusados y obligados a trabajar en condiciones inhumanas. Se que no es un libro que las personas se sentirían orgullosas de decir “Oye, esa es la historia de mi país”. pero ES la historia que tú país pasó para llegar a donde está. Btw. La CHarca es un lugar de aguas estancadas, asi que SPOILER hahahaha representa el estancamiento económico de la isla.-
3. Papo Impala está quita’o by Juan Antonio Ramos: I know you have read of this book before in this blog (if you read my post on books I would love to re-read) but is so good and not known that I have to. Is the story of an character that represents ALL the people that is marginalized in the island. Those who love to drink a cold beer, or how the people here says “la friita” (the cold one) and listen to music from la vellonera. Is hilarious story and I LOVED it because I knew the places he was talking about, I have been there. And is even better because everyone thinks he is dumb because he loves to drink but he talks with such intelligence and knowledge of books that he proves to you that he wasn’t dumb. Is a MUST that almost NO ONE in Puerto Rico knows about. –Se que has leído sobre este libro (si leiste mi publicación sobre los libros que me encantaría re leer) pero es tan Bueno que tenia que hacerlo. Es la historia de un personaje que representa a TODOS los marginalizados de la isla. Aquellos que les encanta ir a tomarse una cerveza fría, o “la friíta” como dicen en mi país y escuchar música de la vellonera. Es una historia Graciosa y que ADORO ya que yo se los lugares de los que habla, yo he estado en esos lugares. Y es aún mejor, porque todos piensas que él es bruto ya que le gusta beber, pero él habla con tanta inteligencia y conocimiento de libros que te prueba que no es bruto. Es un libro que todos DEBERIAN leer, pero que casi nadie en la isla sabe de él.-
4. La Víspera del Hombre by René Marques: This one is a story about what Puerto Rico went through when hurricane San Felipe came to the island. Is a love and development story, where you can see how Pirulo grows in EVERY aspect of his life and how the island change little by little developing the economy and them self. Is a really important book if you are Boricua and I think is left behind because so many people gets their attention to La Charca as the evolution of Puerto Rico. –Este es sobre la historia de lo que Puerto Rico pasó cuando el huracán San Felipe vino a la isla. Es una historia de amor y desarrollo donde Podemos observar como Pirulo crece en CADA aspect de su vida y como la isla va cambiando poco a poco desarrollando su economía y a ellos mismos. Es un libro muy importantesi eres Boricuay que creo que se deja a un lado piorque muchos le prestan más atención a La Charca.-

So there you go, I know there are more book there represents my culture but those are the ones I could think of. Hope you enjoyed, hopefully I made you think about picking at least one of them (sadly, most of them are just in Spanish). If you would like to see more post of me in Spanish, let me know. Thank for reading this post, take care, I’ll see you soon with another post! Keep readind and creating! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee!