In this memoir, we become witness to the transformation of the little Puerto Rican girl who emigrated to New York with her single mother and ten siblings. Esmeralda Santiago finally breaks out of a monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to come under the thrall of "the Turk" and discover that romantic passion, too, can become a prison. Esmeralda's journey of self-liberation and self-discovery is a daring one, candidly and zestfully recounted, and leads, most improbably, to her triumphant graduation from Harvard. The expansive humanity, earthy humor, and psychological courage that made Esmeralda's first two books so successful are on full display again in El amante turco, which will both reward the author's faithful readership and extend it. Hers is a fresh, exciting, and necessary voice. "[A] deftly understated saga of an intense, abusive relationship...Santiago's latest will grow on readers. Her slow self-realization is deeply human." ? Publishers Weekly