Letters

Letters are written to Mami from Maria, and to Maria from Mami during the course of the novel. Many of these letters appear throughout the novel. The letters detail the lives of Maria and Mami in their respective countries, as well as their hopes, dreams, fears, and happiness. Maria’s early letters, for example, describe how much she misses Puerto Rico, and how much she misses hearing Spanish being spoken by everyone.

Embroidered dreamcatcher

An embroidered dreamcatcher is knit for Maria by Dona Segura. The dreamcatcher includes many beautiful colors which remind Maria of Puerto Rico. The gift is very meaningful to her because not only is it reminiscent of Puerto Rico, but because it is a gift from Dona Segura, a sweet and kind woman who is blind. She is able to see without seeing, much the way that Maria is able to see the...