Young women in traditional cultures often see their dreams evaporate as they hit puberty and their teen years. Traditional rites of passage focus on womanhood, or more specifically, wife- and motherhood. At a certain age girls are presented to society as potential brides. The girls themselves often go thru both poignant and painful floods of emotion.
Verdita’s story, now being compared to House on Mango Street, is one such coming of age tale. This time the traditional culture is that of Puerto Rico. Puberty, a loss of innocence, and a threat to an only child’s self-centered world all make this a tremendous story. The Time It Snowed In Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy.
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