Outside the Wall: A Puerto Rican Woman's Struggle

Santiago grew up, married, and lives in a once-safe working-class Chicago neighborhood to which, she believes, her generation brought gangs. Marrying a gang leader at 15 to escape her strict mother, she rationalizes: her mother beat her, but she's really a good person; her husband used/dealt drugs, but he wasn't a junkie; prison guards harass women visitors but the search is necessary, etc. Using a "life history" approach, sociologist Padilla relies on interviews that were taped over the course of two years to convey a Puerto Rican woman of color whose life story is tied to her spouse's incarceration. Though Santiago has much in common with many women, for whom her self-analysis is relevant, some readers may question Padilla's perception of feminism. In addition, the rush to transcribe, edit, and get this work into print is evident. The book has a potential in some psychology and sociology classes.- Helen Rippier Wheeler, formerly with Univ. of California SLIS, Berkeley