Author Julia Alvarez (Image Source: Bryn Mawr)
Accomplished author Julia Alvarez was named one of 11 recipients of the 2013 National Medal of Arts, and President Barack Obama presented the award in honor of her “extraordinary storytelling” on Monday.
The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and patrons of art.
Alvarez will be recognized especially for her significant contribution with her literary work in themes of family, identity and cultural divide.“This is a special moment for all of us,” Alvarez said in a statement. “One of the most touching headlines someone sent me today from the DR read ‘Nuestra Julia’ — our Julia — to be honored at the White House. I love the choice of ‘our.’ Whenever an award like this is given out, the person receiving it is representing a whole community.”
Julia Alvarez was born in New York City but raised in the Dominican Republic. This upbringing helped Alvarez develop her unique, profound insight on all of her pieces, which has brought her to earn so much recognition for her work.
We took the time to admire some of Alvarez's best work, and just a small portion of her ever growing list of accomplishments.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991)
Image Source: Book Fever
"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" is a novel about a wealthy, privileged family in the Dominican Republic which is forced to flee to New York City after a political coup goes wrong. The novel gives insight on how the family has trouble adjusting to fit in, and how they search for their new identity.
Although this was Alvarez’ first publication, it attracted enough attention to get her featured in the New York Public Library’s 1991 exhibit. According to Library Journal, the acclaimed novel also landed a spot on the Library Journal of the "21 new classics for the 21st century" in 1999.
In The Time of the Butterflies (1994)
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"In the Time of the Butterflies" is inspired by true events. It tells the story of the four Mirabal sisters, and their battle with overthrowing the dictatorship of Trujillo in Dominican Republic. This tragic tale is told by the only surviving sister DeDè and traces the sisters' strategic plot to put an end to the tainted government.
This novel was turned into a film in 2001, featuring Salma Hayek and Marc Anthony, alongside Edward James Olmos. According to Book Critics, the book was also nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1994.
Yo! (1997)
Image Source: Scribd
The book titled "Yo," which is short for Yolanda, is the same character in Alvarez' first book, "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents." It follows Yolanda as she has grown up to become a writer. Yolanda manages to upset her entire family as she publishes the intimate details of their lives as a fiction.
The book has been published in nine different languages to accommodate Alvarez' large and diverse audience.
Once Upon a Quinceañera (2007)
Image Source: Barnes and Noble
This non-fiction book depicts a coming of age ritual in Latino American culture. Alvarez was enticed to write this book after she attends a quinceañera and becomes fascinated by the phenomena. In this book, she dissects the history behind the tradition. She also takes to interviewing some of the "quince" girls.
"Once Upon a Quinceañera" was a finalist in the NBCC Award in 2008, according to Book Critics.
These are only a sampling of Alvarez' work which, for years, has educated people about the hardships of migrating, and seeking to find your identity when everything you thought you were ceases to exist.
“I feel a moment of confirmation that change can happen, slowly, over time, and also renewed commitment to continue to be one of those who stands up to be counted, so that others can get the same opportunities I have been lucky enough to receive,” Alvarez told NBC News.