Call Me Maria

Introduction

Published in 2004, Call Me María by Judith Ortíz Cofer is a young adult novel written in a combination of prose and verse. The story follows a Puerto Rican teenager named María as she navigates the complexities of moving to New York City and adjusting to a multicultural setting. During her lifetime, Ortíz Cofer was a prolific author who focused much of her writing on investigations of identity. Like Call Me María, Ortíz Cofer’s other works are close, personal narratives that explore the nature of womanhood, Puerto Rican culture, and family relationships. As a young adult novel, Call Me María deals with all of these themes in an age-appropriate way for pre-teen and teen readers. Call Me María was named an Honor Book in the 2004 Americas Award for Young Adult Literature.

This study guide refers to the first edition of Call Me María, published by Orchard on October 1, 2004.

Plot Summary

Set in the 2000s in New York and Puerto Rico, Call Me María is told from the first-person perspective of a teenager named María who has moved to New York City to live with her father in an apartment building.