When I Was Puerto Rican Lesson Plan

Why do you think Santiago chooses to include words in Spanish in the memoir?

Thoughtful responses will probably include some of the following ideas:

1) She could be including Spanish as a stylistic choice to better represent her identity. She is from Puerto Rico, and reading words in Spanish now and again throughout the memoir helps provide concrete context and connection to those roots.

2) Many times, there isn’t a direct translation for certain words. Therefore, using the word in Spanish allows her to use the word without it losing its full meaning.

What do Negi’s fantasies about Margie say about her position in her family?

Margie is Negi’s older...