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    Before We Were Free
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    Before We Were Free
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    Before We Were Free
    Audiobook5 hours

    Before We Were Free

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

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    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government's secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo's dictatorship.

    Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.

    From renowned author Julia Alvarez comes an unforgettable story about adolescence, perseverance, and one girl's struggle to be free.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 13, 2004
    ISBN9781400085309
    Unavailable
    Before We Were Free

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    Reviews for Before We Were Free

    4/5

    183 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Excellent book on the DR dictatorship in the 60's seen from an "almost" 13 year old's eyes. Coming of age, living in fear of the local police, friends that are boys, boyfriends, and family relocating in the USA, are all part of this enticing read.
    • 4/5
      Well told story of the early 60's in the Dominican Republic from the children's perspective.
    • 4/5
      A young adult perspective on the Dominican oppression by Trujillo. The novel starts slowly, but it builds to a gripping conflict. I appreciated it and the young-adult focus, but for my teaching purposes, I believe I will stick to How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
    • 4/5
      The more I travel the more I appreciate young adult fiction to help me understand historical backgrounds of countries. I am the same age as Anita de la Torre, but her perspective is so different than mine. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, having both her father and her uncle murdered by the Trujillo regime and escaping to America was fascinating reading. I realize that this was fiction, but Julia Alvarez’s afterword about how lucky she was to have escaped the dictatorship shows the connection to the reality of a fictional account.
    • 4/5
      This little volume explores how Anita (12 going on womanhood) feels as her family struggles to survive the revolution to overthrow the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. Her view is simplistic and focused on the realities of her familial experience - colored with the emotion of first love and the adoration of a child for her father. I've read Alvarez before, and so far I like this book best.It's not quite as powerful as [The Diary of a Young Girl] by Anne Frank, but it's a very good book re the Dominican experience under Trujillo. Recommended for young adults.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of a young girl growing up in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo regime. Her entire family is heavily involved with the opposition movement, and many of them have fled to the United States. I love the voice of the main character. She is struggling with the normal issues of a young teenager, while also living under an oppressive regime where much of her family is in very real danger. A good read for adults, both young and old.
    • 4/5
      I recommend this book because, it has a unique plotline, and is full of interesting characters and settings. The book kept me turning pages, because it was addicting and the events were fascinating throughout the story. This book is full of suspense, making me turn the pages to see what happened next. I relate to the character Anita, because just like her I am sort of caring for my family and my friends. Just like her, I am also at times childish, and am very clueless of my surroundings. The plot was suspenseful, and had new unexpected events constantly, which kept me on my toes too see the outcomes. The theme was well developed, because it is not super cliched, like other stories. I personally responded to this book with a sort of sad feeling. This book is full of sad events, that make you think about how you would feel. Especially because the main character Anita, was around my age. I learned from this book, that you should always be brave, and stand up for your anything that you don’t believe is right. This changed the way that I thought about history, and how cruel dictatorship was. All that power in one person's hands, is too much to account for.
    • 5/5
      Alvarez readers, see question below spoiler alert:

      I thought that Before We Were Free ended with a chapter in Chucha's voice, but I got to the end and it was all Anita's voice. Is there a different Alvarez novel that ends with Chucha's point-of-view or am I simply misremembering?
    • 5/5
      Set in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s, this novel tells the story of a young girl whose family lives under the repressive rule of General Trujillo. Over the course of the book it becomes increasingly obvious that her family members are involved in resistance against the dictator, who feels free to take anything or anyone he desires. The family's fear for their daughter's safety when General Trujillo admires her and the increasing net that is drawn around the family as they attempt to wrest their country from the hands of the dictator are vivid and compelling, and for younger kids the pictures painted here may be too frighteningly realistic to be appealing. For older kids, though, Alvarez paints a thought-provoking and haunting portrait of a family living under a dictator. The book will lead to discussions about freedom, dictatorship, and repression, and will give kids a good sense of what it means to live in a repressive society. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      A poignant, thought-provoking novel that will easily lend itself to a good discussion. I'm glad that I picked it for this month's MIP Book Club.Anita is almost 12 years old and living in the Dominican Republic. Some of her extended family has left for the United States but she and her nuclear family are determined to stay, even though the dictator is becoming more and more ruthless.While learning more about local politics, Anita is also moving from adolescence into womanhood. Her struggles, both internal and external, make for a moving book.Highly recommended to all.
    • 3/5
      "Before We Were Free" is the story of Anita de la Torre, a twelve-year-old girl living in 1960's Dominican Republic under the military dictatorship of General Trujillo.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully told, moving story of a young girl living in the Dominican Republic during the close of Trujillo's reign of terror. Slowly Anita learns what is happening in her country, how her family is involved in the revolution, and whom she can trust. Ending is sad and achingly true to life.
    • 5/5
      A first person narrative through the political upheaval of the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. Anita Powerful storytelling that puts you in the midst of her struggles, loss, fears, hopes and dreams. A must read!Used to teach overcoming struggle and difficult times. Also helpful to teach writing as a means to process and attempt to understand your struggles.
    • 3/5
      Personal response: I didn't particularly care for this book. I actually found it to be a bit boring. I did, however, appreciate the cultural authenticity that it contains. The author speaks from a knowing perspective rather than one of speculation. It is unfortunate that the author has some of these terrible events as representative parts of her past. I do appreciate the ability to tell the story without having to tone down the truth for fear of offending people who like to pretend the world is always fresh and innocent.grades 7-10curricular connections:Latin american studiesgroup read
    • 4/5
      This is a book about a girl named Anita de la Torre, the niece of a rebellion leader trying to overthrow the dictator of the Dominican Republic during 1960. Her family is continuously threatened by the secret police, hunting for her uncle and his fellow rebels. The dictator threatens to steal her from her home. To escape this danger, her family desperately seeks asylum in the States but tells Anita she must wait to leave until the papers come through. Anita is distraught over the move - how can she leave her only home that she loves? At the same time, how can she stay in such an unpredictable and frightening battleground? Strengths - cultural richness (Dominican Republic culture and Spanish vocabulary), relatable middle school experiences, exciting plotweaknesses - mature content and graphic imagery (nonetheless, the book treats the subjects of rape, menstration, and murder, among others, in a responsible way)group read7-9th grade. wide appeal.
    • 4/5
      Before We Were Free is the story of Anita, a twelve year old girl growing up in the Dominican Republic under the Trujillo regime. She struggles to retain some semblance of normal girlhood as her family is torn apart by the underground revolution. When her life is threatened, she goes into hiding, writing in her diary so a record will be left in case she is found. Libraries would find this book useful, as it gives an eye-opening look at Dominican culture, and especially the dictatorship and subsequent revolution. The book uses many Spanish words and phrases, which are usually translated, and traditions such as quinceaneras (15th birthday parties) are discussed. There are also interesting contrasts between the Dominican main characters, their American friends, and their Haitian housekeeper. In addition, middle school aged children can use this book as a history lesson, and learn about new concepts such as dictatorships and embargoes.
    • 2/5
      Great book for children about dictatorship, new immigrants, and understanding politics and culture.
    • 5/5
      Anita is a 12-year-old girl who is a first hand witness to the Dominican Revolution of 1961. This first-person narrative told through the perception of a young girl allows the reader to see a revolution through the eyes of an innocent.. When Anita's cousins are hurriedly packed to leave the country this marks the end of childhood innocence for Anita. Soon her family finds the secret police parked in their driveway; the American consul moves in next door; and her older sister Lucinda is packed off to join her cousins in New York after she is noticed by El Jefe Trujillo, the country's dictator. Anita's finds out that her family is involved with the political resistance to Trujillo. The present-tense narrative holds the reader in its grip, as Anita moves from the healthy, self-absorbed world of early adolescence to a prematurely developed understanding of the world's brutality. Her step into puberty changes from a celebration to an additional fear: "I don't want to be a se-orita now that I know what El Jefe does to se-oritas." , Anita tries in vain to live a normal life, and experience the first flush of puberty and first love. Eventually, the noose tightens, and the family must go into hiding, from where they are smuggled to New York and an uneasy freedom. This book provides a glimpse into the world of those who live in a dictatorship.
    • 4/5
      Ms. Alvarez does a wonderful job of re-creating the story that she lived through. The tone she gives the character Anita is one of uncertainty but bravery. She portrays a young teenager who is learning how to be an adult during a critical time. Ms. Alvarez conveyed the message, that fighting for the right to be free, is the ultimate sacrifice one can make for their country.
    • 5/5
      This historical fiction novel is set in the 1960's, on the small island country of the Dominican Republic. Anita De La Torre's family is among the leaders of a revolution to get rid of the country's dictator. Anita struggles to understand what it would mean to be set free. Julia Alvarez does a excellent job of making the 12 year old's perspective and voice be very believable. The suspense in the plot leaves the reader wanting to know more. Excerpts from Anita's diary also allow the reader into her innner most thoughts and fears. This book could be used well in a middle school history class that focused on types of government and the effects that dictatorships have had on people's lives.
    • 5/5
      A history I never knew about - great!
    • 2/5
      This is a young adult novel about a 12-year-old girl who, with most of her family, narrowly escapes the brutal dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s that many of her relatives actively seek to overthrow. It's a sometimes moving but often sentimental account that seems to me to talk down to its young readers.