Synopses & Reviews
It is 1961 and Puerto Rico is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. For eleven-year-old Verdita Ortiz-Santiago, the struggle for independence is a battle fought much closer to home.
Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, far from the excitement of the capital city of San Juan or the glittering shores of the United States, where her older cousin lives. She will be a señorita soon, which, as her mother reminds her, means that she will be expected to cook and clean, go to Mass every day, choose arroz con pollo over hamburguesas, and give up her love for Elvis. And yet, as much as Verdita longs to escape this seemingly inevitable future and become a blond American bombshell, she is still a young girl who is scared by late-night stories of the chupacabra, who wishes her mother would still rub her back and sing her a lullaby, and who is both ashamed and exhilarated by her changing body.
Told in luminous prose spanning two years in Verditas life, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico is much more than a story about getting older. In the tradition of The House on Mango Street and Annie John, it is about the struggle to break free from the people who have raised us, and about the difficulties of leaving behind one's homeland for places unknown. At times joyous and at times heartbreaking, Verditas story is of a young girl discovering her power and finding the strength to decide what sort of woman shell become.
Synopsis
It is 1961 and Puerto Rico is trapped in a tug-of-war between those who want to stay connected to the United States and those who are fighting for independence. For eleven-year-old Verdita Ortiz-Santiago, the struggle for independence is a battle fought much closer to home.
Verdita has always been safe and secure in her sleepy mountain town, far from the excitement of the capital city of San Juan or the glittering shores of the United States, where her older cousin lives. She will be a senorita soon, which, as her mother reminds her, means that she will be expected to cook and clean, go to Mass every day, choose arroz con pollo over hamburguesas, and give up her love for Elvis. And yet, as much as Verdita longs to escape this seemingly inevitable future and become a blond American bombshell, she is still a young girl who is scared by late-night stories of the chupacabra, who wishes her mother would still rub her back and sing her a lullaby, and who is both ashamed and exhilarated by her changing body.
Told in luminous prose spanning two years in Verdita's life, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico is much more than a story about getting older. In the tradition of The House on Mango Street and Annie John, it is about the struggle to break free from the people who have raised us, and about the difficulties of leaving behind one's homeland for places unknown. At times joyous and at times heartbreaking, Verdita's story is of a young girl discovering her power and finding the strength to decide what sort of woman she'll become.
About the Author
SARAH MCCOY is the family columnist for Your Health Monthly magazine and has taught writing courses at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and at the University of Texas in El Paso. As a child, she spent much time in Puerto Rico visiting her mothers family. She lives in El Paso with her husband.
Reading Group Guide
1. What role does food play in Puerto Rican culture? How does McCoy use specific foods to bring the characters together?
2. What kind of narrative voice has McCoy chosen for this novel? How do we connect with Verditas character through that narrative style? How does the childs point of view enhance or detract from the books impact?
3. Freuds theory of the primal scene asserts that when a child is faced with the sudden awareness of his or her parents sexuality and intimacy, it shocks the psyche and sets the childs libido into motion. How do you see this affecting Verdita in chapter 1 and throughout the novel?
4. The discovery of identity is a common theme in coming-of-age (bildungsroman) stories. At the beginning of the book, Verditas persona is directly tied to her parents. Finding her identity requires her to recognize the separation between who they are as a unit (Venusa and Faro) and who she is as an individual. Simultaneously, she battles with who her parents are in the intimate setting (Mamá and Papi) and who they are in public (Monaique and Juan); who she is in private (Verdita) and in public (Maria-Flores). Discuss this and other social dualities Verdita faces in her coming-of-age struggle.
5. How is Verditas coming of age in 1960 Puerto Rico different from a girl coming of age in America during that same period? How are they similar?
6. How have the Taino Indians and the indigenous island culture adapted to each of its colonizers (the Spanish and the Americans) and the African slaves brought by them? How do you see each of these influences in the novel? How does this compare to Americas “melting pot” identity?
7. Much of Puerto Rican and other Latino fiction focuses on themes of migration to New York, Chicago, Miami, or other Latin-populated cities. How is this story different? How is it similar? Discuss what youve learned about the island culture that you didnt know before reading the book. How is this culture different from the Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States?
8. At the beginning of chapter 3, Papi discusses Puerto Ricos possible statehood. Do you believe Puerto Rico should be a part of the United States? If so, why and what benefits does statehood offer? If not, why and what detriments come with it? Would it affect Puerto Ricos identity in a good or bad way?
9. A magical worldview is a common characteristic of the Latino culture. While McCoys storytelling is more realistic, how and where do you see elements of magic in the characters lives?
10. What is the role of myth and story in Puerto Rican culture? How does it influence both individuals and the community?
11. Verdita believes in God, but her understanding of Him and how the supernatural interact with the mortal is perplexing. The magical tales of the church mingle with the ones told within her family, the ones of Puerto Ricos heritage and history, and those of America. Many of the overlapping concepts contradict one another. For example, in the novel: Is there a king of the ocean or a God in heaven; would one make seashell wishes, or prayers at the altar; is there a Santa Claus, or Three Kings? In what other areas does Verdita struggle to find truth? Can you reconcile these conflicting truths?
12. The Greeks described love as a three-pronged fork. One prong is the fundamental emotion of compassion: philia, storge, and agape (cherishing, belonging, and self-sacrificing). The Greeks contended that upon coming of age and the budding of sexuality love branches into two additional prongs: eros and epithumia (romance and desire). How does McCoy portray philia, storge, and agape in the novel? How does she portray eros and epithumia?
13. Gender roles are addressed in the novels text and subtext. What are the Puerto Rican gender roles in the home? What are they in public? How do these compare with the projected American gender roles?
14. Patriarchy is a traditional characteristic of many Latino families. How do you see the Santiago family following in that tradition? How do you see them diverging from it? How does Verdita view femininity (represented by Mamá, Delia, Mamá Juanita, Titi Lola, the puta in San Juan) and masculinity (represented by Papi, Omar, Blake, Naranja)?
15. How is sexuality portrayed throughout the novel? Are women encouraged to embrace their sexuality or shun it? Discuss the conversation between Verdita and Mamá on page 121. How does Verdita deal with her sexuality and the sexuality of those around her? How does religion influence this?
16. Duality of culture is a major theme in McCoys novel. How does American culture impact the traditional Puerto Rican society? How does it affect the language, the foods, the religion, the traditional gender roles of men and women, and so on?
17. In the end, after Verdita evaluates both the good and bad of life in America, why do you think she still chooses to leave her homeland? What brings her to this decision? What do you think Verdita will find when she lands in the United States—will her expectations be met? Will she be disappointed?