Abstract
Taina: Una Novela makes strong statements about how social justice, individual determination, education, and compassion can overcome urban poverty. The main character, Julio is a half Ecuadorian/half Puerto Rican teenager who was born and raised in East Harlem. He has good grades and aspires to get into Princeton University. Julio gets the support he needs for his future from his parents and a couple of good teachers from his school. Clearly, Quiñonez makes an important statement as an educator on the things that are needed to deal with issues of urban poverty. Julio ends up believing Taina, a girl marginalized by the whole neighborhood, has an immaculate pregnancy. Taina and her mother are poor, and Julio does criminal acts to support her and her mother. Quiñonez explores the effects of marginalization on mental health, as Taina and her mother become crude, hostile people in their isolation from society.
Highlights
The young girl who supposedly got pregnant by some divine force is hardly a Virgin Mary
The protagonist is a teenager named Julio who is half Puerto Rican and half Ecuadorian like Quiñonez himself. He comes from an East Harlem background, and dreams of going to college
He believes that Taína, a young woman who is pregnant, has had some sort of immaculate conception
Summary
The young girl who supposedly got pregnant by some divine force is hardly a Virgin Mary. Taína: Una novela by Ernesto Quiñonez, is the author’s third book. The protagonist is a teenager named Julio who is half Puerto Rican and half Ecuadorian like Quiñonez himself. Other people in the community shun Taína and her mother, who are almost never seen.
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