Book Review: Before We Were Free
Reviewed By: Kaitlin T.
A world with no privacy; no democracy; no mercy; just a cruel dictator with levels of cruelty never seen anywhere else. This is the Dominican Republic in the 1960’s. Imagine being a 12 year old girl during this time of horror. Now imagine all that horror in addition to your cousins moving to America, your house being searched, your dad getting in trouble, your uncle going into hiding, and your sister having to leave the country. All that horror, all that sadness, all the confusion and all the mysteries in one book; that book is called Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez.
This book was so amazing. I know it takes a lot to make a teenager grateful for what they have, but this book accomplished just that. I had no idea that a girl about my age could go through so much and still be brave. Her dad was taken from her to go to a cruel jail that not many people come out alive from and she still stayed strong. When she and her mom had to go into hiding, she still stayed strong. When her sister left the country to avoid the dictator’s so-called love toward her and she still stayed strong. This made me feel for her, I always would say to myself, “What would I do if I was in her position?” and I would always end up thinking, “I don’t know”. But this girl actually put thought into her next move; every choice was a one of life or death. I compared some current issues in my life to hers and it made me realize that I have an awesome life. For this reason I think that this book opened my eyes to see that you only live once, (yolo), so at least try to make your life better, it is better to die trying than to have died giving up.
Honorable Mentions
- “Jane” by April Lindner
- “No Strings Attached” by Judy Blundell
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