Of Mothers, Playboys & Knowledge

My mom has always been a woman of letters and a litterateur. She also likes to quiz me as well as other people on all things cultural. On any given day (during our daily phone conversation – yes, I call my mami everyday) she will quiz me with the intensity of a debate team coach.

The other day she asked me if I knew who Porfirio Rubirosa was and the name certainly rung a bell. When she started describing him – I remembered he was a character in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. I was surprised to learn he was a real person although I shouldn’t have been since I know the book is packed with historical references.
My mom then says “do some research on him, print it out and bring it to me because I want to learn more. That man looked like Marcello Mastroianni. No, he looked like your father.” My father, really? Interesting.
Anyway, I’ve bought my mother La breve y maravillosa vida de Óscar Wao so she can continue her uh, hum “studies.”
Spread the love

More Articles for You

Basque, Portuguese & Noble Families of Puerto Rico: The European Roots You Didn’t Learn About

Explore how Basque, Portuguese, and noble European families shaped Puerto Rico’s southern towns (like Ponce) through surnames, migration paths, and hidden ancestral histories.

Spread the love

Puerto Rican Surnames with Taíno & African Roots: Origins in Ponce, Juana Díaz & the Southern Highlands

Many of the names we still see today (Montalvo, Negrón, Fontanes, Rivera, Chamorro, Zapata, Maldonado) carry the intertwined legacies of Taíno survivors, Africans and European migrants who moved through the island. This guide unravels those lineages with care.

Spread the love

I, Medusa by Ayana Gray: A Myth Retold with Power and Humanity

Ayana Gray’s I, Medusa reimagines the mythic villain as sister, priestess, survivor. Read Valerie M. Evans’ review of this bold, haunting retelling.

Spread the love

Brooklyn’s Jane Doe: A Shocking True Story of Assault, Media Betrayal, and Delayed Justice

Book review and critique by Valerie M. Evans: Brooklyn’s Jane Doe reveals how one woman’s assault became a public smear, and why her fight for justice still matters today.

Spread the love

Other Inheritances: Scent Memories from a Childhood at Fat’s Pet Shop in East Harlem

Before I ever knew what a perfumer was or that someone could make a living decoding and remixing scent, I …

Spread the love

Ghosts of the Palisades: Threads between memories, places and time

Somewhere tucked away, high on the Palisades, on lovely, dead end street, in the ether of the internet and Google …

Spread the love