{"product_id":"something-to-declare-essays-paperback","title":"Something to Declare: Essays - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJulia Alvarez\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn her first book of nonfiction, Julia Alvarez takes us behind the scenes and shares the lessons she's learned on her way to becoming an internationally acclaimed novelist.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1960, when Alvarez was ten years old, her family fled the Dominican Republic. Her father participated in a failed coup attempt against the dictator Rafael Trujillo, and exile to the United States was the only way to save his life. The family settled in New York City, where Dr. Alvarez set up a medical practice in the Bronx while his wife and four daughters set about the business of assimilation--a lifelong struggle. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Loss of her native land, language, culture, and extended family formed the thematic basis for two of Julia Alvarez's three best-selling novels--\u003ci\u003eHow the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents \u003c\/i\u003eand its sequel, \u003ci\u003eYo! \u003c\/i\u003eHer father's revolutionary ties inspired \u003ci\u003eIn the Time of the Butterflies\u003c\/i\u003e, her historical novel about one of Trujillo's most infamous atrocities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSomething to Declare \u003c\/i\u003eoffers an extraordinary collection of essays that deal with the two big issues of Alvarez's life--growing up with one foot in each culture and writing. The twelve essays that make up \"Customs,\" the first of two parts, examine the specific effects of exile on this writer. The essays are personal--how her maternal grandfather passed along his love of the arts, how the nuclear family-in-exile snuggled down every year to watch the Miss America contest from the parental bed, how Julia feared her family might disown her upon publication of her first novel. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the second half, \"Declarations,\" are twelve essays about writing that range from confession of Alvarez's means of supporting her writing habit to the gritty details of her actual process. Every one of these essays is warm, open, honest, and generous.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJulia Alvarez\u003c\/b\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eLatina\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\" \u003ci\u003eIn the Time of the Butterflies\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. In 2024, she was profiled in the American Masters documentary, \"Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined,\" on PBS.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.9 x 8.1 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 28, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuiz Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Something to Declare\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Upper Grades, 9-12\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7.2\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e 14\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57451215618353,"sku":"9781616205584","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/3486\/5969\/files\/y-faI9Ckzt9781616205584.webp?v=1794210644","url":"https:\/\/www.welibooks.com\/products\/something-to-declare-essays-paperback","provider":"Welibooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}