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pasita (pah-see-tah): Raisin. Also used to describe the texture of African hair, said to resemble little raisins.

pasteles (pass-teh-less): Ground plantain, green bananas, and yucca stuffed with seasoned meat, wrapped in a roasted banana leaf, then boiled

piraguas (peer-ah-goo-ass): Shaved ice sweetened with fruit syrups

piropos (pee-roh-poss): Flirtatious comments men make to women as they pass

plaza del mercado (plah-ssah dell mer-kah-doh): Marketplace

pocavergüenza (pock-ah-ver-gwenn-zah): Shameless actions

pomarrosa (poh-mah-roh-ssa): Rose apple

purgante (poor-gahn-teh): Purge

puta (poo-tah): Whore

público (poo-blee-coh): Public car

qué lindos (keh leen-doss): So pretty

queso del país (keh-soh dell pah-ees): Cheese made in Puerto Rico

quinqué (keen-kéh): Kerosene lamp

salchichas (sahl-chee-chahs): Sausages

salsa (sahl-sah): A type of modern Caribbean dance music. Also, sauce.

sancocho (sahn-kóh-choh): Vegetable stew

señorita (se-nyo-ree-tah): A girl who has begun menstruating. Also, Miss.

sinvergüenza (seen-ver-gwenn-zah): Shameless person

sofrito (soh-free-toh): Vegetables, herbs, and spices ground up and combined. Used to season Puerto Rican food.

solitaria (soh-lee-tah-ree-ah): Alone. Also, tapeworm.

tembleque (tem-bleh-keh): Cornstarch pudding made with coconut milk

toda una señorita (toh-dah oo-nah seh-nyo-ree-tah): All a young lady should be

vaguadas (vah-goo-ah-dahs): Heavy rains

velorio (veh-loh-ree-oh): Wake

READERS GUIDE

For Discussion

1. Though Santiago’s story takes place in several locations, she specifically contrasts two kinds of community: the rural one, represented by Macún, and the urban culture of Brooklyn. What role does “tradition” play in each society? Could Macún be classified as a “traditional society”? How cohesive is the family and social unit in Macún? How does the family unit fare when it is transplanted to New York? Would Tata and Chico lead the type of life they do if they were still in Puerto Rico?

2. Much of the book’s text and subtext concern the different roles men and women are expected to play in Puerto Rican society. Though the men work hard, they are allowed time for recreation; the women work far harder with no time off at all. Women serve men, but they also scorn them. How do the demands made on men and women differ in this cuture? How similar—or different—are attitudes in the United States? How does hostility between men and women affect the Santiagos’ lives?

3. Like all young people, Negi gropes to understand the concept of love by observing the examples she sees around her. What idea of romantic love does she receive from the radio programs and romantic novels she devours? In what way does her principal model of a love relationship—that of her parents—contrast with this model? Is there any way of reconciling these two visions of love? What role does sex play in her romantic imaginings? What does it mean in Negi’s world to be señorita? Why is her position as casi señorita such a difficult one?

4. Describe the ways in which the Puerto Rican concept of dignidad contrasts with contemporary American manners and mores. Is there an equivalent concept in our culture? In the Puerto Rico described by Santiago, how effective is dignidad as a social code? Does it contribute to the well-being of the community? Does it contribute to the oppression of women?

5. The scenes in which Negi translates for her mother and other Hispanic women in the welfare office are suggestive of tensions within the city culture. How can we deduce Mami’s feelings from Santiago’s description? How does Negi feel about the women who pretend to be Puerto Rican so that they can collect welfare? Why does she agree to translate their lies?

6. In what way does Negi respond to the challenge of the more socially fluid society she encounters in the United States? How is her encounter with Mr. Grant representative of her changed circumstances? Will Negi’s victory cause her to change her ideas of dignidad