"[Santiago's] story has so much to teach. The relationship between Esmeralda and her mother is a perfectly imperfect demonstration of how strong women raise even stronger daughters; the resilience of the females in this story is truly inspiring."--Her Campus
"[Santiago] portrays impoverished people as people, not statistics, and we see her pride in her heritage, as well as the inevitable culture clashes. She eventually graduated with honors from Harvard University, wrote her best-selling memoir (the first in a trilogy) and became a critically acclaimed novelist-a stylist with the grace to inspire others."--Oprah's Book Club, "The Best Memoirs of a Generation"
"A powerful tribute to the island of her childhood."--Washington Post Book World
"Santiago brilliantly recreates the idyllic landscape and tumultuous family life of her earliest years and her tremendous journey from the barrio to Brooklyn, from translating for her mother at the welfare office to receiving high honors at Harvard. Santiago's story is one of the American dream both realized and deferred."
--Bustle.com
"Stylistically fluid and finely detailed."--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Will speak to anyone whose parents loved and hated each other, to anyone who recalls a child's bittersweet loss of innocence, and to anyone who simply enjoys good writing."--Miami Herald