"Julia Alvarez made her mark on the American literary horizon with the 1991 publication of her debut novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, a story based on her own family's bicultural experiences. Readers and critics alike quickly discovered the writer's penchant for extracting humor from hardship, and weaving personal history into vivid prose. Within a decade, Alvarez had published three more highly acclaimed novels, including Yo! (1997), a delightful sequel to her first novel.

This Critical Companion introduces readers to the life and works of the Dominican-American writer and examines the thematic and cultural concerns that run through her novels. Full literary analysis is provided for each, including historical context for the factually based works. In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) and In the Name of Salome (2000).

Students will discover the personal and literary influences in Alvarez's writing with the help of a brief biography and a chapter on the Latino novel."--BOOK JACKET.