Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx 12+: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx

About this book

Get to Know ‘Maria’ from Sesame Street — in this beautifully wrought coming-of-age memoir.

Set in the 1970s in the Bronx, this is the story of a girl with a dream. Emmy award-winning actress and writer Sonia Manzano plunges us into the daily lives of a Latino family that is loving—and troubled. This is Sonia’s own story rendered with an unforgettable narrative power. When readers meet young Sonia, she is a child living amidst the squalor of a boisterous home that is filled with noisy relatives and nosy neighbors. Each day she is glued to the TV screen that blots out the painful realities of her existence and also illuminates the possibilities that lie ahead. But—click!—when the TV goes off, Sonia is taken back to real-life—the cramped, colorful world of her neighborhood and an alcoholic father. But it is Sonia’s dream of becoming an actress that keeps her afloat among the turbulence of her life and times. Spiced with culture, heartache, and humor, this memoir paints a lasting portrait of a girl’s resilience as she grows up to become an inspiration to millions.

Reviews

Praise for Becoming Maria

"[A] poignantly written memoir about growing up in the South Bronx" - School Library Journal, starred review

"In stark and heartbreaking contrast to her Sesame Street character, Manzano paints a poignant, startlingly honest picture of her youth." - Kirkus, starred review

"[A] voice that conveys a slow-burning audacity and the internal glimmer of lightness of a true dreamer." - Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano

"This wry, moving debut novel does a great job of blending the personal and the political. . . while the family drama and revelations continue right up to the end." -Booklist, starred review

"Characters of surprising dimension round out the plot and add to the novel's cultural authenticity. . . A stunning debut." -Kirkus, starred review