When I Was Puerto Rican: A Memoir

Name: When I Was Puerto Rican: A Memoir
Price: 2.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (1376 reviews)
Author: Esmeralda Santiago

by Esmeralda Santiago

Memoir

4.6 (1,376)

4.6 stars from 1,376 reviews. Top 86% of Memoir books we track.

274 pages~4.6 hr readPublished by Demco MediaPublished 1993-01-01

$2.99Deal70% off peak

Last checked: Jun 6, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $10.06

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Price range: $1.99 – $10.06

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Perfect for you if...

You grew up between two worlds and felt the weight of helping your parents navigate a new country.
You're interested in how education and ambition can reshape a life marked by poverty and instability.
You want a memoir that balances hard truths about family dysfunction with genuine warmth and humour.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer memoirs that present a triumphant, straightforward path from struggle to success without complications.
You're looking for a book focused primarily on the author's adult achievements rather than formative childhood years.
You want a light, feel-good story without confronting poverty, parental neglect, or family trauma.

About this book

A memoir of Esmeralda Santiago's journey from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn and eventually Harvard. In her childhood, Santiago experienced tropical beauty alongside domestic hardship and poverty, learning cultural practices and family traditions. When her mother decides to move the family to New York with her seven children (later eleven), Santiago, as the oldest, must adapt to new surroundings, learn English, and develop a new identity. The narrative follows Santiago's transition from her early years in Puerto Rico's mango groves and barrios through her role translating for her mother at the welfare office, to achieving academic success at Harvard. This is the first of Santiago's three memoirs.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$1.99 – $10.06

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 70% off peak. Price has dropped 13 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 143 days. Typically stays discounted for 45 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #327K in the Kindle store — a niche title. Climbing the charts — 54% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.6★ from 1,376 reviews

Gaining approximately 4 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $10.06.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.