Before We Were Free is a fictional book based on immigration and politics, written by Julia Alvarez. The book was published by Ember on 27 March 2018.
The book revolves around the life of Anita de la Torre, a young girl growing up under the dictator, El Jefe’s, regime and tyranny in the Dominican Republic. Alvarez describes the real-life political tensions of the time and the mass migration of immigrants from DRC to the US. The book covers many themes, including that of coming-of-age, and dealing with family, all the while under a politically oppressive regime.
This text was extremely well received, with Publishers Weekly calling it "A stirring work of art" and Booklist stating that "Alvarez's story will spark intense discussion about politics and family." Alvarez also won the prestigious Pura Belpré Award for the book.
