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ñDamn you bastards, coming here making trouble. Bunch of animals.î The two police offers responding to a call about an open fire hydrant lash out furiously at the Puerto Rican residents of New York CityÍs El Barrio neighborhood. ItÍs the summer of 1941, and all ten-year-old Nilda wants to do is enjoy the cool water with her friends. But the policemenÍs curses end their fun, and their animosity is played out over and over again in NildaÍs life. She is repeatedly treated with contempt and even disgust by adults in positions of authority: teachers, nurses and social workers. At home, though, she is surrounded by a large and loving?if somewhat eccentric?family that supports and encourages her artistic abilities. She experiences the onset of World War II and watches anxiously as several brothers go off to war; her stepfatherÍs poor health means he canÍt work, causing serious financial difficulties for the family; one brother slinks off to the underworld, leaving behind a pregnant girlfriend, adding two more mouths to feed to the familyÍs already dire situation. Named an ñOutstanding Book of the Yearî by The New York Times and one of the ñBest Books of the Yearî by the American Library Association in 1973 when it was first published, Nicholasa MohrÍs classic novel about life as an immigrant in New York City offers a poignant look at one young girlÍs experiences. Issues of race, religion and machismo are realistically and movingly depicted in this groundbreaking coming-of-age novel that was one of the first by a Latina author to be hailed by the mainstream media.
ñDamn you bastards, coming here making trouble. Bunch of animals.î The two police offers responding to a call about an open fire hydrant lash out furiously at the Puerto Rican residents of New York CityÍs El Barrio neighborhood. ItÍs the summer of 1941, and all ten-year-old Nilda wants to do is e...
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About the author
NICHOLASA MOHR is the author of numerous acclaimed, award-winning books for children, young adults and adults. She has won several awards for her writing, including an Honorary Doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany. She lives in El Barrio where she was born, and continues to write books for all ages.
NICHOLASA MOHR is the author of numerous acclaimed, award-winning books for children, young adults and adults. She has won several awards for her writing, including an Honorary Doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany. She lives in El Barrio where she was born, and continues to w...
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