Written by the Dominican-American novelist Julia Alvarez, Before We Were Free is a historical fiction set in the 1960s Dominican Republic. The fictional events in the novel take place on the backdrop of the political unrest during the Trujillo Era. It was published in August 2002 and intended for a younger audience as the story is based on Alvarez’s childhood.
The protagonist Anita is a 12-year-old girl from an upper-class family who witnesses the terror of Trujillo’s dictatorship while gradually piecing together the reality of their lives. She is initially oblivious of the tyrannical regime as she notices a majority of her relatives have left the country for the United States. Rafael Trujillo ruled the nation for 30 years through figurehead presidents while imposing his oppressive rule upon the people. While the citizens suffer at the hands of the secret police Anita and the rest of the nuclear family are protected by their father who expresses the significance of freedom.
The author has explored the Trujillo Era in her previous works such as How the García Girls Lost Their Accents but this targets younger readers. Before We Were Free focuses on the young girl as she understands herself while going through changes, which cuts across regardless of social background. It emulates The Diary of Anne Frank in how it tackles the anxieties of a young girl amidst political unrest as they both explore the impacts of tyranny.
