Before We Were Free

When Julia Alvarez’s Before We Were Free (2002) begins, the life of Anita de la Torre, an 11-year-old girl in the Dominican Republic, is about to change forever. The novel investigates themes of family, government corruption, superstition, and the power of the written word, all set against the backdrop of the months before and after the assassination of a brutal dictator, Rafael Trujillo. This study guide uses the 2007 Laurel Leaf Reprint Edition.

Plot Summary

During the novel’s early pages, Anita’s cousin, Carla Garcia, is summoned from their classroom. Anita and Carla attend an American school together in the Dominican Republic. Carla is told that she and her family must leave for New York that night. Anita cannot understand why the situation is so urgent. Her mother and father are suddenly encouraging them all to speak softly and cautiously. Anita’s sister, Lucinda, tells her that they believe the house is bugged and being monitored by devices placed there by SIM, Trujillo’s secret police force.

An American family, the Washburns, move into the compound where Anita lives with her family and her former nanny. Mr. Washburn is an American ambassador. Anita quickly becomes infatuated with Sam, Mr. Washburn’s son. Then she learns that her Uncle Toni has gone missing.