Esmeralda Santiago was born in Puerto Rico on May 17, 1948. She moved to the mainland United States with her family when she was thirteen years old. She is the author of three highly acclaimed memoirs, When I Was Puerto Rican, Almost a Woman, and The Turkish Lover. Almost a Woman was made into a Peabody Award–winning film for PBS Masterpiece Theater. Santiago is the author of the best-selling historical fiction novel, Conquistadora, along with other novels and essays. She co-authored with Joie Davidow two literary anthologies, Las Mamis and Las Christmas. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, and The Boston Globe.
In her sixties, Santiago suffered a stroke and...
