Award-winning author Esmeralda Santiago will speak on the power of words to transform lives at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 27 in Whitley Auditorium on the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ campus. Her presentation is free and open to the public.
The oldest of eleven children, Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She overcame the difficulties of a life of poverty and the struggle to learn English and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. Upon publication of her first book, the memoir “When I was Puerto Rican,” the Washington Post Book World hailed Santiago as “a welcome new voice, full of passion and authority.”
Her second memoir, “Almost a Woman,” received numerous “Best of Year” mentions, in addition to an Alex Award from the American Library Association. It has recently been adapted into a film, which premiered nationally on PBS.
She is also the author of the novel, “America’s Dream,” and most recently, “The Turkish Lover,” her third memoir.