Something to Declare

Something to Declare, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1998

This group of previously published essays forms something of an autobiography. The first half talks about having to leave her homeland of the Dominican Republic, along with the rest of her family, when she was only ten years old, because of her father's participation in a failed coup attempt against the dictator Trujillo. While her father set up a medical practice in New York City, the rest of the family set about the task of living as hyphenated Americans. She talks about surviving the New York City public school system, watching the Miss America Pageant to get ideas about beauty, concern about the reaction back home from her writing.

The second half talks about the life of a writer. After spending several years as a traveling writing teacher, she settles down in Vermont, marrying the son of German immigrant farmers from Nebraska. She is given tenure at a local college, only to give it up several years later to become a full-time writer. She talks about the day-to-day process of writing. Alvarez takes the reader along on a research trip for a possible novel that never sees the light of day.

As an experienced writing teacher, Alvarez does a very good job of keeping the reader interested. Prospective writers, and writing teachers, would be well advised to read and absorb this book.