Before We Were Free Audiobook By Julia Alvarez cover art

Before We Were Free

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Before We Were Free

By: Julia Alvarez
Narrated by: Julia Alvarez
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Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government’s secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo’s dictatorship.

Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.

From renowned author Julia Alvarez comes an unforgettable story about adolescence, perseverance, and one girl’s struggle to be free.

©2002 Julia Alvarez (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group Difficult Situations Emigration & Immigration Family Family & Relationships Fiction Growing Up Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Multicultural Inspiring

Critic reviews

"Alvarez proves as gifted at writing for adolescents as she is for adults. Here she brings her warmth, sensitivity and eye for detail to a volatile setting, the Dominican Republic of her childhood, during the 1960-1961 attempt to overthrow Trujillo's dictatorship....A stirring work of art." (Publishers Weekly)
"An involving book for adults as well as young adults....[Julia Alvarez] reads with emotion and clarity, and her warm Latin accent is a pleasure to listen to." (AudioFile)
Beautiful Story • Well-developed Characters • Efficient Historical Context • Powerful Learning Tool • Captivating Buildup
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I read it from beginning to end with out stopping. Julia Alvarez you're one of the best storytellers ever.

Gracias!

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To hear others stories is humbling to me. Humans can be cruel to people when we do not understand their story. This is a good, simple, story for all ages to develop compassion for another person.

Humbling

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Love the book! The audible reading i wish would be clearer for readers to read.

Before We We Free book by Julia Alvarez

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Bad News First
Superb story conflicted with not-so-great narrating: characters were not made as lively as they could've, jokes didn't hit as well they should've, many a tender scene was made awkward by monotonous, almost forcibly hushed tone, inappropriate inflections disrupt a truly captivating buildup.

As far as the story itself, the line between historical context and fiction is very efficiently maneuvered. Interesting, well-developed characters endear themselves to the reader as events unfold throughout the story. Events do not simply happen around the characters; the reader is made aware very early on that no one is invincible in this world and that the reign in the character's country is no exception. This gives the reader hope: anything can happen. This also makes the reader consider the fate of every character: anything can happen.

As with any story, there are flaws to be found. This particular story possesses very few.
The reader is left with many questions at the end of the story; many of which can be answered with a great deal of speculation but are ultimately still just speculation.

Narration strengths would include the distinguishing of voices of various characters (which makes it much easier to follow conversations between multiple characters) and an unhurried pace that compliments many image-heavy scenes, allowing the listener to soak in every detail and even add to the scene themselves, in their mind's eye.

In summation: Ms. Alvarez created a beautiful story about war, the avoidance of such, and the key players involved in any conflict, all from the perspective of a child growing into a young woman.
However, this particular medium (audiobook) of communication of aforementioned beautiful story leaves much to be desired and/or imagined, in this case, at least.

Many thanks to anyone who took the time to read this lengthy backhanded compliment.

Talented Author Left Much To Be Expected Narrating

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I enjoyed this story from start to finish! It weaves together the coming of age of the protagonist and the heartbreaking situation in her native country in an authentically tween-ager way. At moments lighthearted, and at others devastating, there are many stopping points for pause and reflection. I think this would be a fantastic book for middle schoolers, though more politically conservative regions of the U.S. may contest some of the mentions of puberty’s effects. However, to me, this makes it all the more powerful for young learners to see themselves centered in the story.

Compelling!

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I started reading this book at my local library, but never was able to find the name again until recently. I was so excited to see the audiobook available. I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Lovely book

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Loved every second of the novel. Beautiful. The narration was top-notch and I truly fell in love with every character.

Amazing

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Great story. Julia Alvarez is a wonderful writer and poet. No offense to Julia but I didn’t like narration. I stuck with it because it’s a good short story.

Great story

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I loved it! What a heartbreaking yet beautiful story! The narrator kept me engaged! I especially liked Anita! What a smart , creative and courageous little girl.

Beautiful story

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Very engaging. I read it with my daughter. Narrating is excellent. I would highly recommend.

Great story.

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