Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898 - (Nuestras Voces) by Adriana Erin Rivera

About the Book

Told through diary entries, twelve-year-old Paloma and her family must navigate changes they cannot control and hope for a better future when United States soldiers invade Spanish controlled Puerto Rico in 1898.

Book Synopsis

Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Latino, Nuestras Voces shares inspiring Latino stories. It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mami, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the chickens and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music--the song of the coquí frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi's tiple guitar. But Paloma's world begins to change when war arrives on Puerto Rico's shores. What will happen to their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can't control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Review Quotes

A young Puerto Rican girl witnesses her island's transition from -Spanish colony to U.S. territory in this richly detailed historical fiction novel. -Twelve-year-old Paloma's diary entries express the hopes and fears of her entire homeland as war for control of Puerto Rico reaches her coffee farm home. Will the new U.S. r-egime preserve native culture and offer self-rule? The answer comes in the novel's final chapter, set 27 years ahead in 1925, as adult Paloma--now living in New York City--reflects on the fate of her family and the impact of U.S. rule. The Puerto Rico of Paloma's youth is vividly realized, from the mango trees and chickens she tends to the colorful bustle of the marketplace where her family sells eggs and plantains. Spanish terms are woven throughout the narrative, a bit unevenly: some terms are defined as part of the narrative, some through grayscale spot art, some in the glossary. Additional back matter includes discussion questions and a QR code link to Smithsonian Museum resources on Puerto Rican history. Publisher notes indicate this is the first entry in a series depicting key moments in American history from a young Latinx character's perspective. VERDICT Ideal as a classroom read-aloud and recommended for libraries seeking to expand their collection on Latinx history and culture.--Marybeth Kozikowski "School Library Journal"