Julia Alvarez was born in New York City in 1950 but spent her childhood in the Dominican Republic. She is an award-winning author, poet, and essayist. Alvarez is most known for her portrayal of living in the US as an immigrant, and how immigrant cultures conflict with US cultural expectations Alvarez was originally born in NYC, but when she was only an infant her family moved back to the Dominican Republic. She quickly developed a talent for storytelling and by the time she was ten she was entertaining her family with stories and her writing. However, her family was forced to flee from the Dominican Republic after her father participated in a failed coup to overthrow the Trujillo regime. When her family came back to the United States it was a difficult time for her. She had essentially lost all she had ever know and became a refugee in an unfamiliar country. This moment would create a lasting impact in her life and would provide a prominent influence in her work. She would often face discrimination because of her ethnicity and the city provided a persistent sense of alienation for her. After she graduated from Abbot Academy boarding school, she attended Connecticut College and Middlebury College where she received the Benjamin T. Marshall Poetry Prize for her writing. She later attended and received her master’s degree from Syracuse University. In 1984 she published her first work of poetry to critical success. This collection focused on her feelings of isolation and alienation from her childhood. Her poetry also touched upon themes that helped her and comforted her in these times. She discusses the healing nature of daily rituals, the peace of nature, and the importance of a family unit to uplift one another. Her primary work, How the Garcia Lost Their Accents, was published in 1991 and is one of her most widely acclaimed works. It is semi-autobiographical and follows her childhood and early life in the US. The book uses her experiences to illustrate the differences of Caribbean culture and the US. The book was so personal and authentic that her family was offended by some of the information presented in it. The book went on to be placed the notable list from the American Library Association. Alvarez was one of the first breakout Latin American authors in the 20th century in the United States. She is an immensely popular author whose influence is present in an entire generation of Latin American authors. Her work’s exploration of patriarchal abuse, cultural alienation, and the pain of immigration has been an important influence for many Americans.

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