By Nellie

My Teacher: Mrs. Shields chose this book for me. I was a little unsure about what book I will read.  She recommended it.  The story represents real living in a poor family. I found very interesting things in this book. For example: “Ana Rosa life. We were dreams when we are little. We feeling, we grow up than we express. What we want to do, with our lives .many children come from poor family. Same parents have negative comments to say. If they are raise with old fashion styles. They like to teach their children for the senses ways. They transmitted generation to generation. I remember when I living in the Island, I grown up with Native children they born there. They have different culture .I hearing and saw about many families” they said to the children, stopped to thinking about the dreams.it never coming true. The   children answered way? The parents responding” we are poor. We don’t had much many to help and put you into the expensed school.  Than you might to becoming as a professional and famous.

Ana Rosa “History is look like the sense. When she was twelve at that age” every child has lots dreams. I found Ana Rosa very smart. With different kind the ability. And with good attitude to learn fasted easy way. Ana Rosa and mammy talk alone on wash day. She loves to write, but in the Dominic Republic writing was dangerous. Wash day she get mammy all to herself she said time with mammy alone they can share private thoughts in the way they did on wash day. At the river’s edge, she did toll mammy all special things she had thought about during the week. She said no other hands, no other ears. They were alone, and no one could hear what they would say. Mammy was the only person who knew she wanted to write a book when she grew up. She knew it was a strange thing to want to do, because she sure, didnt  to know any writers around in the Island. In fact, Pappy told her” that in the Dominic Republic only the president could write books. She thought it true. She went to the library, and she saw a lot of books by the president Balaguer.ther was reason why she couldn’t she should spin them around and around in her head as she doing a mental merengue. She thinks about the words over and over again. She figures out the dance, but sometimes she wishes, she would just say that she means straight out. Pappy might sound as if he is talk in in a puzzle, but she always know exactly what he means, I likes when she asked him. She could have a notebook just for writing her poems in. Pappy said girl, your head is getting bigger than your hat. You want more than you can have.

She told mammy this on her next wash day, mammy laughed. But she could tell the laugh was only in her throat and not in her heart. Mammy said to” Ana Rosa” your Pappy says funny things sometimes darling. She said.” He’s a dreamer.”

She asked. How can you say that, Mamie? All pappy   does is sit on the porch and drink rum. Mamie’s hand shot out faster than a lizard under a rock. Mamie’s said you have no hair on your tongue don’t criticize others.

Day had been never a day of sharp words and slaps she felt as Pappy was a rock. She swallowed her tears and beat the clothes harder.  Sharp words and a laps yelling and fighting there are no sweet measures of silence good things that are quiet. She glanced over at mammy. She   was dipping the clothes into the river.” Looked Ana Rosa, “mammy said. Look at the river. She looked. The water rushed around mammy brown knees and through her blistered red fingers, leaving wet kisses on her skin. Making her skin wet courses directions paths but always under the sky and the Sun.” she had never heard mammy say so much at one time. She looked closely at the river but she could not see all that she saw in it.

You are this river, Ana Rosa,” she whispered. “But you must flow softly around the rocks on your way to meet the sea. You can do as you wish be careful .Mammy’s words were gentle. But her brown eyes were slits of worry like moon slices on a dark night. She looked worried turned them or shook them or chased them from her mind she tried to forget them. Mummy did not have to tell me what everyone on the Island knows.” She said. “And what she knows, too. Hurl words at our government disagree with the government and in the hot, sticky darkness, she heard mammies answer, sometimes it is better to keep those things inside for a while”

Mammy was right. She was warning her to keep quiet. To wait until she left the island and could write what she wanted. When she didn’t live in a country where silence was self-defense. She had to keep quiet to make sure she would not get in trouble. She shake Mamie eyes open show that keeping quiet. Can be bad. Ana Rosa said. Mamie slap will last a lifetime. She will always remember how angry mammie was. Ana Rosa does not have paper to write her poems on. She finds a solution, but it causes a problem for her brother. She was turning into a little thief. Ways striding bits. And pieces of paper to write on. Sometimes it was the paper bags that his pappy brought home with bottle of rum in. Also she used Napkin’s or gray paper that the shopkeepers, use to wrap up goods things. People buy she wanted more than anything a notepad of her own. She could write poems she can smell and tested and felt like something new. Would she express everything, she was feeling.

Guárico’s is her brother his had been worked as waiter at a Restaurant near the beach. He is handsome good looking and attractive. The tourists liked to have him smile chat and talk.

Mammy was upset because Ana Rosa needed help. She cannot help her as much. She wishes because the situation was not appropriate living in the Island is hard sometimes. She wrote about the children about climbing her favorite Grid tree. She wrote poems about Angela her beautiful silly older sister bout how to smile at men passing by their purchase. Also she wrote about her brother Robert who worked hard in the sun renting beach chairs to tourists. The brother Guárico’s last his jab. No matter what is wrong in their family. They always listen to mammy.

And the end a history Ana Rosa was happy for continue to writing her poems .family friends and neighbor they was proud about her. Extraordinary amazing and special ran moved the mess you are how you look his death day the day he died two tied together forever two days that will always be remembered together. Maybe it’s the silver wings on the waves that touch her brand new or maybe the big waves are making her see things differently. Shall will it is today or never. She has to do it.today or she will never do it.