Characters
This is the narrator of Before We Were Free.
Who is Anita de la Torre?
This character hides in the Mancini's closet with Anita after Papi and Tio Toni are arrested
Who is Carmen/Mami?
Anita receives this gift for her twelfth birthday.
What is a diary?
After Lucinda leaves the D.R., Anita experiences this drastic personality change.
What is a loss of her ability to speak?
This dictator is also known as "El Jefe" and "Mr. Smith".
Who is Rafael Trujillo?
This character moves to the United States after Don Trujillo sends flowers to her home.
Who is Lucinda?
This American boy moves onto the compound and begins attending Anita's school after the Garcias move to New York.
Who is Sam Washburn?
Anita attends this kind of school in the Dominican Republic.
What is an American school?
Anita and her classmates go here to learn after their school closes.
What is the Mancini's house?
This is a codename used to refer to three revolutionary sisters who were killed by the SIM.
Who are las Mariposas/the Butterflies?
This character was in hiding until halfway through the novel.
Who is Tio Toni?
This character initially gets on Anita's nerves with his persistent questioning, but she eventually comes to share a connection with him.
Who is Oscar Mancini?
This is the reason behind Anita's uncle's disappearance.
What is his involvement in a plot to overthrow Trujillo?
After Mr. Washburn is involved in a minor car accident, a policeman discovers this in the trunk of his car--though he pretends that he didn't see it.
What are guns?
Who is Saint Joan of Arc?
This character exclusively wears purple and sleeps in a casket.
Who is Chucha?
This character leaves behind an eraser in the shape of the Dominican Republic when she and her family abruptly move to the United States.
Who is Carla?
After Tio Toni's return, Mami asks this favor of Anita.
Anita comes home one life-changing day to find this object has been turned to face the wall.
What is the portrait of El Jefe?
This is a measure taken by one nation to block trade with another nation in response to political conflict.
What is an embargo?
This character has a quinceanera on the compound.
Who is Susie Washburn?
This maid who turns out to be a spy for the SIM.
Who is Lorena?
What is the inauguration of John F. Kennedy?
What is a SIM interrogation site?
This term refers to a character who undergoes a major change over the course of a story.
What is a dynamic character?