From Zaida Garcia ’15:
Maria from Sesame Street is coming to Wesleyan TODAY! Emmy award winning writer and one of America’s most influential Hispanic women, Sonia Manzano delivers a powerful debut YA novel—a coming-of-age story set in New York City’s El Barrio in 1969.
There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo—her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who’s come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then, like an urgent ticking clock, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a group of Puerto Rican activists, dump garbage in the street and set it on fire, igniting a powerful protest. When Abuela steps in to take charge, Evelyn is thrust into the action. Tempers flare, loyalties are
tested. Through it all, Evelyn learns important truths about her Latino heritage and the history makers who shaped a nation.Infused with actual news accounts from the time period, Sonia Manzano has crafted a gripping work of fiction based on her own life growing up during a fiery, unforgettable time in America, when young Latinos took control of their destinies.
Sonia Manzano has affected the lives of millions since the early 1970s, as the actress who defined the role of “Maria” on the acclaimed television series Sesame Street. Sonia has won fifteen Emmy Awards for her television writing and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Arts and Sciences. People magazine named Sonia one of America’s most influential Hispanics. This is Manzano’s first novel. She lives in New York City.
Sonia will be delivering a talk on “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” tonight in Memorial Chapel. A book signing and dessert reception will follow in the Zelnick Pavillion.
Date: TODAY! November 21, 2013
Time: 7:30 pm
Place: Memorial Chapel
Cost: Free