The Latina Book Club
celebrates LATINX HERITAGE MONTH
every day.
But to honor Latino / Latinx authors during this
celebratory month, we will highlight a new book and author every day.
Join us and #ReadLatinoLit.
 |
| Flatiron Books |
DOMINICANA
by Angie Cruz
SUMMARY:
Fifteen-year-old
Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up
with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises
to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is
twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an
opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New
Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz,
a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and
miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she
is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to
stay.
As
the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect
his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free
to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island,
see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the
possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must
decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
In bright, musical prose
that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's DOMINICANA is
a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age
story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
Check out DOMINICANA’s
Playlist by clicking here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Angie
Cruz is a New York born DOMINICANA,
the author of two novels, SOLEDAD (2001) and LET IT RAIN COFFEE (2005).
She is the editor of Aster(ix),
a literary/arts journal, and her work has appeared in journals including Gulf Coast, Kweli, NYTimes, Callaloo, and VQR. She teaches in the MFA
program at the University of Pittsburgh. Her novel, DOMINICANA, is forthcoming with Flatiron Books,
Fall 2019.
#READLATINOLIT
#READLATINO
#READLATINX