Happy Days, Uncle Sergio (Secret Weavers Series)
This best-seller in Puerto Rico tells the story of a young girl growing up on the island in the 1950s. Fatherless siblings Lydia and Andres live in a household of women, enjoying a magical childhood, blissfully unaware of the growing tensions between Puerto Rican separatists and those who wish to be Americanized. Only when enigmatic, secretive Uncle Sergio comes to stay with the family does Lydia awaken from her childhood lethargy. Irresistibly drawn to her uncle, Lydia is entranced by his secrets, especially the mysterious, whispered phone calls that leave him crying. The years pass and eventually Uncle Sergio moves back to New York, but Lydia will never be the same; her experiences with Uncle Sergio have awakened in her a need to find her own identity, both as a woman and as a Puerto Rican--just as Puerto Rico struggles to recover its own identity. This outstanding book captures the fleeting magic of childhood and the confusion of adulthood with grace, style, and touching honesty.Kathleen Hughes