A review by bibliobrandie
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

4.0

I loved revisiting this book (which also references other favorite Alvarez characters) and used it for a booktalk for Hispanic Heritage Month. Set in the 1960s during the Trujillo dictatorship, 12 year old Anita and her family feel trapped and have to do everything they can to survive. Themes of home, family, and immigration. There is some violence and death. Read first in July 2013.