I love historical fiction. I've never been good with remembering dates, but when you put the stories of history into context with more personal narratives, I'll be more likely to remember an approximate time period. The same is true with international history. About two weeks ago, I finished reading Julia Alvarez's Before We Were Free. This story takes place during the overthrow of an oppressive regime in the 1960s Dominican Republic. I had never heard of Rafael Trujillo, known to the citizens as "El Jefe", meaning "The Boss", nor the revolution planned and executed by the people, but this story of a young girl and the struggles of her family and friends will help it stick with me.
Anita de la Torre is eleven years old when this story starts, attending an American-run school, which means that she would be very familiar with our country's history, even if I previously knew nothing about hers. Right away, you are able to see some of the inconsistencies in her schooling. The students are learning about the first Thanksgiving, and are assigned roles for a play. Anita is cast as one of the Natives and is told that her lines are as follows: "Welcome to the United States" (Alvarez, 1). Another Dominican student objects. "Why the Indians call it the United Estates when there was no United Estates back then, Mrs. Brown?" (2). The American students laugh at his English pronunciation rather than admit that his point is valid. The teacher just brushes it off as "creative licensing."
The relationship between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, as demonstrated above, is one of the most interesting parts of this story. We have embassies and consulates almost everywhere and, along with those, American communities abroad. While these families are there, however, relations between the two countries become strained, and the U.S. enforces a trade embargo. In the classroom, many students are concerned, and Mrs Brown tries to explain the embargo the best she can. "You know how your parents sometimes ground your brother or sister," she says. "It's not because they don't love him or her, now, is it? It's because they are concerned and want to make him or her a better person" (33). But, not willing to explain the politics behind it, she succeeds in nothing more than making the Dominican children feel that they've done something wrong.
Although we don't learn much about the cultural histories of other countries unless we specifically seek it out, it is gratifying when you understand a reference that was hinted at but not fully discussed. At one point in the book, Anita decides that she wants to read more. "He [tio Pepe] told me about famous people in prisons and dungeons who did incredible stuff, like this nun way back in colonial times, who I guess wrote tons of poetry in her head..." (120). I'm not certain, but I think she's talking about Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a Spanish nun in Mexican history. I don't recall her actually being imprisoned in the literal sense, but she felt trapped in her life "options". She is known to have said "I couldn't dress as a boy, so I dressed as a nun instead." What this meant was that, even though she didn't really feel like she was a nun, she had to be. It was the only way that it would be acceptable for her to continue learning. One of my favorite lines of her poetry roughly translates to "Is it worse to sin for pay, or to pay for sin", asking whether the prostitute or the customer is more at fault. She was a voice for women when everyone else was afraid to be. I really enjoyed that this book was able to bring back to my memory this historical woman just from one minor line.
I think I'm going to make a point to read more books like these in the future, because even the history that I already know has more than one perspective. This story is about so much more than just politics. It is about family interactions and coming of age, making it the perfect backdrop for such a heavy time in history. History doesn't happen in and of itself. It is interwoven with our daily lives
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