Quiara Alegría Hudes

Quiara Alegría Hudes is the author of this memoir. She was born in Philadelphia to unmarried parents: a Puerto Rican mother and a Caucasian father. Quiara was originally raised by both of her parents in an ethnically diverse neighborhood in West Philadelphia. The three of them then moved to a predominantly white suburb outside of Philadelphia, and Quiara felt like an outsider. After her parents’ relationship ended, Quiara and her mother moved back to Philadelphia, and Quiara was primarily raised by her mother, as well as by her mother’s family members. Quiara felt a deep connection to her Puerto Rican heritage and family members. Quiara soon became aware of the social and economic disparities between her mother’s family and her father’s family. As a result, Quiara became more aware of racial disparities in the United States in general.

In her...