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Something to Declare: Essays
"Reading Julia Alvarez's new collection of essays is like curling up with a glass of wine in one hand and the phone in the other, listening to a big-hearted, wisecracking friend share hard-earned wisdom about family, identity, and the art of writing." --People The rich and revealing essays in Something to Declare offer Julia Alvarez's dual meditations on coming to America and becoming a writer. In the first section, "Customs," Alvarez relates how she and her family fled the Dominican Republic and its oppressive dictator, Rafael Trujillo, settling in New York City in the 1960s. Here Julia begins a love affair with the English language under the tutelage of the aptly named Sister Maria Generosa. Part Two--"Declarations"--celebrates Alvarez's enduring passion for the writing life. From the valentine to mythic storyteller Scheherazade that is "First Muse," to a description of Alvarez's itinerant life as a struggling poet, teacher, and writer in "Have Typewriter, Will Travel," to the sage and witty advice of "Ten of My Writing Commandments," Alvarez generously shares her influences and inspirations with aspiring writers everywhere.
Grandfather's blessing
Our papers
My English
My second opera
I want to be Miss América
El Doctor
La Gringuita
Picky eater
Briefly, a gardener
Imagining motherhood
Genetics of justice
Family matters
First muse
Of maids and other muses
So much depends
Doña Aída, with your permission
Have typewriter, will travel
A Vermont writers from the Dominican Republic
Chasing the butterflies
Goodbye, Ms. Chips
In the name of the novel
Ten of my writing commandments
Grounds for fiction
Writing matters
Grandfather's blessing
Our papers
My English
My second opera
I want to be Miss América
El Doctor
La Gringuita
Picky eater
Briefly, a gardener
Imagining motherhood
Genetics of justice
Family matters
First muse
Of maids and other muses
So much depends
Doña Aída, with your permission
Have typewriter, will travel
A Vermont writers from the Dominican Republic
Chasing the butterflies
Goodbye, Ms. Chips
In the name of the novel
Ten of my writing commandments
Grounds for fiction
Writing matters
300 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1998
About the author
Julia Alvarez
76 books3,446 followersJulia Alvarez left the Dominican Republic for the United States in 1960 at the age of ten. She is the author of six novels, three books of nonfiction, three collections of poetry, and eleven books for children and young adults. She has taught and mentored writers in schools and communities across America and, until her retirement in 2016, was a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Her work has garnered wide recognition, including a Latina Leader Award in Literature from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, the Woman of the Year by Latina magazine, and inclusion in the New York Public Library’s program “The Hand of the Poet: Original Manuscripts by 100 Masters, from John Donne to Julia Alvarez.” In the Time of the Butterflies, with over one million copies in print, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for its national Big Read program, and in 2013 President Obama awarded Alvarez the National Medal of Arts in recognition of her extraordinary storytelling.
Photo copyright by Brandon Cruz González
EL VOCERO DE PUERTO RICO
Photo copyright by Brandon Cruz González
EL VOCERO DE PUERTO RICO
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 30, 2016
Julia Alvarez pens her biographical essays here. She imparts worldly words of wisdom in a humorous way to us all. Always full of anecdotes to tell, Alvarez writes a truthful counterpart to her book Yo! Recommend to all literary aficionados.
May 21, 2020
Something to Declare: Essays was a delightful collection of essays written over the years by Julia Alvarez. Many of her essays pertained to the period of time when her family was forced to flee from the Dominican Republic to New York City when it was discovered that her father was involved in a plot to assassinate dictator Trujillo. However, as Alvarez points out, Dominicans don't refer to the death as an assassination but "an ajusticiamiento, a bringing to justice. . . after thirty-one years, Trujillo was brought to justice, found guilty, and executed." Many of the essays talk about the immigrant experience as her family adjusts to living in America, while most of their family remained in the Dominican Republic where Alvarez spent many summers. Alvarez emigrated to the United States with her parents and sisters when she was ten years old. So many of the essays are about her grandparents and godmother as she discusses her early childhood in the Dominican Republic. It is very interesting to see how well Alvarez and her family adapted and assimilated in America. But Alvarez strongly felt none of the issues that "she was facing in her secret soul" had no place in this world and culture, so she started having a secret inner life that she felt contributed to her becoming a writer.
One of my favorite books by Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies was an historical fiction novel about the lives and the murder of the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. She discusses the shock her father must have experienced as the Mirabal sisters were part of the same underground that her father had escaped in order to save his life as they fled from the Dominican Republic just four months prior to this brutal murder. The Mirabal sisters were forced to make the perilous journey on a lonely mountain road because their husbands had been transferred to a distant prison. Alvarez writes that it was because of this connection that she always felt haunted by the Mirabal sisters. One essay, Chasing the Butterflies talks about the impact on her as a child when her father brought home a Time magazine article detailing the brutal and horrific murders of the Mirabal sisters. Because she and her sisters were forbidden to read the article, years later in doing the research on the Mirabals she looked up that Time article that she secretly spied as a child, once again haunted by the photograph of the surviving sister. Alvarez returned to the Dominican Republic to follow up on their compelling history and finally meeting Dede, the surviving sister. Alvarez relates that Dede "had suffered her own martyrdom: the one left behind to tell the story of the other three." She and her husband traveled throughout the Dominican Republic as she sought the research to be able to tell the story, not only of the Mirabals, but the brutality of the Trujillo regime. Cautioned by both her parents not to publish the book, Alvarez inscribed a copy to both her Mami and Papi with a note: "Thank you for having instilled in me through your sufferings a desire for freedom and justice."
One of my favorite books by Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies was an historical fiction novel about the lives and the murder of the Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. She discusses the shock her father must have experienced as the Mirabal sisters were part of the same underground that her father had escaped in order to save his life as they fled from the Dominican Republic just four months prior to this brutal murder. The Mirabal sisters were forced to make the perilous journey on a lonely mountain road because their husbands had been transferred to a distant prison. Alvarez writes that it was because of this connection that she always felt haunted by the Mirabal sisters. One essay, Chasing the Butterflies talks about the impact on her as a child when her father brought home a Time magazine article detailing the brutal and horrific murders of the Mirabal sisters. Because she and her sisters were forbidden to read the article, years later in doing the research on the Mirabals she looked up that Time article that she secretly spied as a child, once again haunted by the photograph of the surviving sister. Alvarez returned to the Dominican Republic to follow up on their compelling history and finally meeting Dede, the surviving sister. Alvarez relates that Dede "had suffered her own martyrdom: the one left behind to tell the story of the other three." She and her husband traveled throughout the Dominican Republic as she sought the research to be able to tell the story, not only of the Mirabals, but the brutality of the Trujillo regime. Cautioned by both her parents not to publish the book, Alvarez inscribed a copy to both her Mami and Papi with a note: "Thank you for having instilled in me through your sufferings a desire for freedom and justice."
August 25, 2018
This is a writer whose books are on my to read list.
So I loved this one, the getting to know her by reading essays about her life.
I liked learning about her family history, that of living under the dictatorship in the Dominion Republic. Her experiences of coming to America and fitting in, and most of all her journey of becoming a writer.
On page 259: Ten of her writing Commandments
IV
If you bring forth what is inside you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is inside you,
what is inside you will destroy you.
St. Thomas
Gnostic Gospels
i think that sums it up!
So I loved this one, the getting to know her by reading essays about her life.
I liked learning about her family history, that of living under the dictatorship in the Dominion Republic. Her experiences of coming to America and fitting in, and most of all her journey of becoming a writer.
On page 259: Ten of her writing Commandments
IV
If you bring forth what is inside you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is inside you,
what is inside you will destroy you.
St. Thomas
Gnostic Gospels
i think that sums it up!
Read
April 19, 2007Publishers Weekly
Having transformed her tumultuous life story -- a passage from childhood in the Dominican Republic and Queens, New York, to a career as a celebrated author and creative writing teacher -- into a body of startlingly lyrical fiction and poetry, Alvarez here chronicles that journey in nonfiction form. These 24 autobiographical essays are meant to answer various questions her readers have posed about her life and her writing. For Alvarez, these questions ultimately can be summed up in one line: 'Do you have anything more to declare?' The first section of the book, 'Customs,' paints with vibrant, earthy clarity -- in classic Alvarez style -- the author's Dominican girlhood, surrounded by the rich cast of characters that made up her extended family and the constant menace of dictator Rafael Trujillo's police state. She also describes her escape to the U.S. with her parents and sisters, along with the assimilation that made her a 'hyphenated American.' The seeds of her writerly beginnings are picked out here and then further explored in the second part of her book, 'Declarations.' These essays examine the difficult balance between the writing life and 'real life'; the joys of teaching; the daily process of writing; and an unsuccessful trip to Necedeh, Wisconsin, to research a potential novel. Alvarez also includes her 'ten commandments' for writing, which consist of some of the author's favorite quotes (beginning with a Zen saying and ending with Samuel Johnson's well-known credo, 'If you want to be a writer, then write. Write every day!'). Taken together, the pieces are as open and lively as Alvarez's readers have come to expect from her work, although the inspiration and guidance they offer to aspiring writers are less striking.
Having transformed her tumultuous life story -- a passage from childhood in the Dominican Republic and Queens, New York, to a career as a celebrated author and creative writing teacher -- into a body of startlingly lyrical fiction and poetry, Alvarez here chronicles that journey in nonfiction form. These 24 autobiographical essays are meant to answer various questions her readers have posed about her life and her writing. For Alvarez, these questions ultimately can be summed up in one line: 'Do you have anything more to declare?' The first section of the book, 'Customs,' paints with vibrant, earthy clarity -- in classic Alvarez style -- the author's Dominican girlhood, surrounded by the rich cast of characters that made up her extended family and the constant menace of dictator Rafael Trujillo's police state. She also describes her escape to the U.S. with her parents and sisters, along with the assimilation that made her a 'hyphenated American.' The seeds of her writerly beginnings are picked out here and then further explored in the second part of her book, 'Declarations.' These essays examine the difficult balance between the writing life and 'real life'; the joys of teaching; the daily process of writing; and an unsuccessful trip to Necedeh, Wisconsin, to research a potential novel. Alvarez also includes her 'ten commandments' for writing, which consist of some of the author's favorite quotes (beginning with a Zen saying and ending with Samuel Johnson's well-known credo, 'If you want to be a writer, then write. Write every day!'). Taken together, the pieces are as open and lively as Alvarez's readers have come to expect from her work, although the inspiration and guidance they offer to aspiring writers are less striking.
December 13, 2013
I can't say I read every word of every essay in this book, but I did appreciate Alvarez's straightforward conversational style and gaining some insight into her writing process and her own personal journey as an immigrant and Dominican American woman, feeling eternally displaced in both her homeland and her new home.
My biggest complaint about these essays is that they felt a bit repetitive - probably because they were collected from different sources and written for different reasons, but sometimes had to tread over the same ground to make their point. Perhaps if I had not tried to read it straight through I would not have noticed this as much.
I did find some interesting tidbits I plan to use to put her work into conversation with that of Junot Diaz.
My biggest complaint about these essays is that they felt a bit repetitive - probably because they were collected from different sources and written for different reasons, but sometimes had to tread over the same ground to make their point. Perhaps if I had not tried to read it straight through I would not have noticed this as much.
I did find some interesting tidbits I plan to use to put her work into conversation with that of Junot Diaz.
March 4, 2008
I liked the first half of the book, which describes Alvarez's experiences as a girl in the Dominican Republic and as an immigrant, much more than the second half, which describes her experience growing into being an author.
April 7, 2024
Beautifully written, thoughtful essays on life, language, and writing. Some were a little too long, some held no interest for me, but overall I really enjoyed this essay collection and would be interested in exploring more from the author in the future.
3.5/5.
3.5/5.
July 13, 2014
This book is a collection of autobiographical essays by Julia Alvarez. In the essays, she writes about things such as coming to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a child, cooking and gardening, and her experiences with writing.
One of her essays was about research she was doing for a book about a woman in Necedah, Wisconsin who was had visions of the Virgin Mary and established a cult following. It was interesting to read about the ideas she had for the book and how they were transformed during her visit to Necedah, and how she ultimately decided it wasn't a book she could write. I guess I'm just fascinated by the writing process.
I have this image of my favorite authors sitting down to write and the words just instantly flowing poetically from their pens or computers. Alvarez writes a lot about the struggles and insecurities that accompany her writing, which I never really think about. Understanding her writing process makes her writing even more engaging. Her essays very beautifully describe the experience I have while reading well written literature.
I would recommend this book to anyone, especially my sisters who are interested in writing.
One of her essays was about research she was doing for a book about a woman in Necedah, Wisconsin who was had visions of the Virgin Mary and established a cult following. It was interesting to read about the ideas she had for the book and how they were transformed during her visit to Necedah, and how she ultimately decided it wasn't a book she could write. I guess I'm just fascinated by the writing process.
I have this image of my favorite authors sitting down to write and the words just instantly flowing poetically from their pens or computers. Alvarez writes a lot about the struggles and insecurities that accompany her writing, which I never really think about. Understanding her writing process makes her writing even more engaging. Her essays very beautifully describe the experience I have while reading well written literature.
I would recommend this book to anyone, especially my sisters who are interested in writing.
April 16, 2015
Sometimes a reader picks up a gem of a book that offers so much insight that the pages turn effortlessly. This book, Something to Declare: Essays by Julia Alvarez is just that. In these wonderful autobiographical essays, the author takes the reader through the different landscapes of her life. From a child growing up in the Dominican Republic during Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship to her adult life as a tenured professor living in Virginia. These 24 essays will suck you in and make you realize that the landscapes of your own life provide you with unique strengths. I recommend this book to any writer looking for inspiration. Julia provides great insight in to the writing life, as well as the absolute need to appreciate the written word as a strong reader to strengthen your writing. After traveling to the Dominican Republic for the first time last year, I picked this book up because I wanted a better background on the beautiful country I visited, and and Julia provides a rich and vibrant look into the history culture of this country.
August 22, 2009
This thoughtful and illuminating collection of essays by the self-described “Vermont Writer from the Dominican Republic” is divided into two groups the first, “Customs” are memories of growing up in the Dominican Republic under the last years of the Trujillo dictatorship, her family’s escape to New York, and the difficulties of assimilating into a not altogether welcoming foreign Anglo culture. The second part, “Declarations,” collects her thoughts on writing, how she turns her experiences and imaginings into poems, novels and essays. One, “Goodbye, Ms. Chips,” is about her difficult choice between the vocations of writer and teacher.
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July 29, 2013I loved this. The essays gave such a great view of a family growing up in several worlds, and how their identity was formed by that. I think as I read more biographical accounts, it is part of humanity to feel like we DON'T belong more often than we feel like we do. Each person's reasons for feeling different are individual, but we all seem burdened by the weight of homelessness. That makes it sound like this book is very sad, but it isn't.
The last few chapters are about writing and the writing process, and have some wonderful nuggets in them!
The last few chapters are about writing and the writing process, and have some wonderful nuggets in them!
January 6, 2018
even though there were a few essays here that fell flat for me, and even though it gets to me the way alvarez (in my opinion) tends to downplay certain privileges she's had, this was an engaging collection for me. my favorites were the ones that were about alvarez realizing she wanted to write and having to figure out what that meant for her life. "family matters," which is about being a writer who comes from a big, close-knit family and the conflicts between those two things, was easily the highlight for me.
May 16, 2008
A great book for writers or writing teachers. While she tells her own stories, she also talks about what it means to be a writer: "I had one of the first in a lucky line of great English teachers who began to nurture me in a love of language." Hooray for English teachers (among other influences)! The last chapter especially focuses on writing, but the whole book is lyrical in the way only Alvarez can write.
April 15, 2012
In one essay, she clearly lays out her process for writing....where she gets/save her impressions and mental images. I remember feeling almost inspired to write, I, who have always considered myself someone without anything to declare. I also love the essay on speaking Spanish in the US; reference this to my students all of the time.
October 8, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this collection of essays by Julia Alvarez. All of the essays touch upon Alvarez's experiences as a child in the DR, a young immigrant in NYC, or her work as a writer. "Chasing the Butterflies," which details Alvarez's research into the history of the Mirabal sisters, was my favorite essay.
Read
July 25, 2011Great insight into Alvarez's life and writing process. Having read her semi-autobiographical novel "How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents," it was fascinating to get a glimpse into her experiences as an immigrant.
February 24, 2013
First non fiction by this author. Series of delightful essays about how she came to be an author and the circumstances of her childhood, growing up in the Dominican Republic, the family's flight to New York and the challenges of their new life.
July 7, 2014
I'm usually not a fan of short stories or a book of essays, but this one was really good. The stories connected, but maybe that's because I was familiar with the author's other books... I really liked it though.
November 28, 2009
I own it, loved reading each story, and this book increased my love of Alvarez as an author and a person.
October 1, 2020
I'm now on a mission to read everything by Julia Alvarez. Interesting essays on a combination of her background and her life as a writer. I definitely recommend it.
July 31, 2020
This book was a pleasant surprise. Alvarez talks about her upbringing and writing life in a series of short, beautiful essays. Her pages are filled with beautiful bits of wisdom that I will try to carry with me.
October 19, 2020
I got Something to Declare in my Page 1 Books subscription, in which a bookseller hand-picks something specially for you each month (they even look through your Goodreads!). I didn’t know that Julia Alvarez had an essay collection on life and writing (as it was published when I was six years old lol), but as soon as I saw it in my box, I knew they’d nailed the recommendation.
That held up as I read — and really enjoyed — this collection. It couldn’t have come to me at a better time. It was Latinx Heritage Month, and I have started to feel the pull toward writing fiction more and more. So I was in the perfect place to read about Alvarez’s childhood under Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, immigration to and adolescence in the United States, and long, bumpy journey to becoming a successful author.
I think this book is especially perfect for anyone managing imposter syndrome when it comes to writing. With hindsight, we know that Julia Alvarez has sold a ton of books. But she spent years and years grinding, unpublished, believing in her heart that it was what she was meant to do. To me, reading about an author’s journey to publishing later in life and against all odds is so much more relatable — and helpful. We don’t have to pop out of an MFA degree at Iowa and win awards on our debut novels in order to become the writers we are meant to be.
That held up as I read — and really enjoyed — this collection. It couldn’t have come to me at a better time. It was Latinx Heritage Month, and I have started to feel the pull toward writing fiction more and more. So I was in the perfect place to read about Alvarez’s childhood under Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, immigration to and adolescence in the United States, and long, bumpy journey to becoming a successful author.
I think this book is especially perfect for anyone managing imposter syndrome when it comes to writing. With hindsight, we know that Julia Alvarez has sold a ton of books. But she spent years and years grinding, unpublished, believing in her heart that it was what she was meant to do. To me, reading about an author’s journey to publishing later in life and against all odds is so much more relatable — and helpful. We don’t have to pop out of an MFA degree at Iowa and win awards on our debut novels in order to become the writers we are meant to be.
April 17, 2011
This is a terrific read! I enjoyed each and every chapter.I loved learning about how the author researches an idea for her books and the process and patience it takes. She is refreshingly candid and honest. Reading about her writing process and interjecting the writing process of other writers was very informative and real.
Favorite quotes: "So does writing really matter?...It matters, of course, it matters. But it matters in such a small, almost invisible way that it doesn't seem very important. In fact, that's why I trust it, the tiny rearrangements and insights in our hearts that art accomplishes. " p. 297
"...it's by what people have written and continue to write, our stories and creations, that we understand who we are. In a world without any books, we would not be the same kind of critter." p. 298
"At the moment we are drawn into language, we are as intensely alive as we can be;we create and are created," N. Scott Momadeay, the Native American author, claims in his book The Man Made of Words. "That existence in a maze of words is our human condition." p. 298
"I don't know what I know in my heart unless somebody-myself included-has put it into words." p. 298
"...to read and have that private enjoyment of clarity..." p. 300
"That they are living fuller versions of themselves and of each one because they have read books matters. The world goes from bright to brilliant to luminous, so that for brief seconds, we see clearly everything that matters." p. 300
Favorite quotes: "So does writing really matter?...It matters, of course, it matters. But it matters in such a small, almost invisible way that it doesn't seem very important. In fact, that's why I trust it, the tiny rearrangements and insights in our hearts that art accomplishes. " p. 297
"...it's by what people have written and continue to write, our stories and creations, that we understand who we are. In a world without any books, we would not be the same kind of critter." p. 298
"At the moment we are drawn into language, we are as intensely alive as we can be;we create and are created," N. Scott Momadeay, the Native American author, claims in his book The Man Made of Words. "That existence in a maze of words is our human condition." p. 298
"I don't know what I know in my heart unless somebody-myself included-has put it into words." p. 298
"...to read and have that private enjoyment of clarity..." p. 300
"That they are living fuller versions of themselves and of each one because they have read books matters. The world goes from bright to brilliant to luminous, so that for brief seconds, we see clearly everything that matters." p. 300
February 24, 2017
I have so enjoyed my time with this collection of essays. Something to Declare had me looking forward to reading more about Julia Alvarez's craft as a writer and her relationship with language over these past few days. Its rare that an artist can articulate that blending of life - whether it be politics, social activism, ideology, romantic entanglements, family and whatever else - with how her art came to be. Toni Morrison, Sandra Cisneros, and Junot Diaz immediately come to mind. I appreciate the vulnerability that one has to have to allow such intimacy. And of course, the insight.
I loved reading and well, hearing - she has such a distinctive and conversational voice - about how she became a reader and a writer, being at the other end of the bits of her journey that she chose to share with us. I found myself laughing, nodding, disagreeing, wondering where on earth she was taking me, connecting, disconnecting and then re-connecting again - it has a short but beautifully insightful intersection of moments that this book has given me. And it went by too fast! I look forward to returning to it again, revisiting the sticky notes and perhaps taking a breath next time to scribble some thoughts down on the margins.
I loved reading and well, hearing - she has such a distinctive and conversational voice - about how she became a reader and a writer, being at the other end of the bits of her journey that she chose to share with us. I found myself laughing, nodding, disagreeing, wondering where on earth she was taking me, connecting, disconnecting and then re-connecting again - it has a short but beautifully insightful intersection of moments that this book has given me. And it went by too fast! I look forward to returning to it again, revisiting the sticky notes and perhaps taking a breath next time to scribble some thoughts down on the margins.
July 7, 2015
Probably more of a 3.5 rating, but I love Alvarez's writing style so much that I'm bumping to the next star. This is a collection of essays, and I enjoyed some more than others. I skimmed some, and others brought tears to my eyes. I finished this book in the midst of my young adult reading; her last essay on why writing matters gave me a fresh burst of enthusiasm for teaching. One quick excerpt from that essay: "It matters, of course, it matters. But it matters in such a small, almost invisible way that it doesn't seem very important. In fact, that's why I trust it, the tiny rearrangements and insights in our heart that art accomplishes. It's how I, anyhow, learned to see with vision and perplexity and honesty and continue to learn to see. How I keep the windows and doors open instead of shutting myself up inside the things I "believe" and have personally experienced. How I move out beyond the safe, small version of my life to live other lives."
March 20, 2018
This book and others like it should be required reading for anyone who thinks they have an opinion on immigrants and what makes them leave their home country and come to the U.S. It is often not easy for a family to make the decision to leave everything they know and move to an entirely different country and many of Alvarez's essays are about the details of that kind of move--not being entirely informed as to why one is leaving (she was only ten when her family came here), the loss of a large, loving, extended family, the loss of language and the loss of feeling like one belongs in one place or another.
These essays are insightful to a reader like myself who has never had to make a choice to leave my home and start completely over in a new place. Alvarez is by turns insightful, mournful, humorous and understanding of all the things that came together to move her life into where it was and is.
These essays are insightful to a reader like myself who has never had to make a choice to leave my home and start completely over in a new place. Alvarez is by turns insightful, mournful, humorous and understanding of all the things that came together to move her life into where it was and is.
October 27, 2010
Alvarez has a wonderful conversational style and sense of humor that makes reading these essays like having a chat with her face-to-face. Each of the essays stands alone and tells something about her -- about her aculturation to the U.S when she arrived from the D.R. as a young girl, about her integrating her D.R. roots with the U.S. culture in which she came of age into the woman she is, about her biligualism and each language represents something different to her. Her lyrical accounts of language and culture are much more personal and interesting than Hoffman's accounts in Lost in Translation. I read half of Something to Declare in one evening and have already recommended it to one of my students -- who has the book now, so I have to wait to finish reading it!
February 1, 2011
This was a very good book, but I only rated it three stars due to the fact that I read it in a short period of time. I think this is a book best enjoyed in small snippets over a longer period. It consists of many extremely well written essays separated into two sections. The first called Customs was the most enjoyable as it consisted of many stories from Julia's childhood. The second is Declarations and it is all about her writing, which while interesting got a little muddy for me...again largely due to the fact that I didn't take the time to savor what I read over a longer period. My favorite essays overall were: Grandfather's Blessing, My English, My Second Opera, Of Maids and Other Muses and Chasing the Butterflies.
October 23, 2019
This was our bookclub selection for March. I loved it. Alvarez allowed the reader to come along with her as she left the DR and discovered life in America. You feel as she and her sisters struggle with having come from a country of "means" to a country where their past means nothing. As the girls struggle to "fit" in, language becomes the "how" for Julia. She loves words. They are her ball and chain and her salvation. When you reach page 300 you truly understand WHY we have writers, and the process that allows them to manipulate the words to best express what they are trying to convey to the reader(s). Nothing but admiration for this author. BRAVO!
December 21, 2010
This book is a collection of essays about Julia Alvarez's experience growing up in the Dominican Republic and the United States as well as her life as a writer. As I read these essays I became more and more aware that Alvarez is also a poet, for her language and imagery was vivid and poetic, especially in describing her life in the Dominican Republic. And although some of the essays made me feel overwhelmed about the idea of writing, in the end I was left feeling inspired to try again to write.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews