000			03312nam a2200253Ia 4500
001			332478
005			20200124020527.0
008			030915e2013 000 0aeng d
020			_a9781494245993
040			_aevl
092	0		_223 _aP.R. 920.72 _bM553m
100	1	0	_aMercado Torres, Doris. _9253092 _2Local
245	1	4	_aThe armor of love and hope _ba memoir _cby Doris Mercado ; Roberto Cabello-Argandoña, editor.
260			_aMoorpark, California _bFloricanto Press _c2013.
300			_a308 pages _c23 centimeters
520			_aMercado<U+2019>s memoir chronicles how a middle child in a large family experiences love, forgiveness and hope despite a lifetime of abuse, neglect and abandonment in the mountains of Puerto Rico. The memoir opens with scenes of an idyllic childhood. Mercado lived in a small town outside Ponce, Puerto Rico, where her life included colorful characters in a bustling community. There were eight children at the beginning of Mercado<U+2019>s story, all battling to use a single bathroom and hairbrush. Doris<U+2019> mother, Lina, worked as a seamstress. She was stern, but she encouraged 4-year-old Doris to read the newspaper. Doris<U+2019> father was well-liked and played affectionately with the children in their chaotic but happy household. Within two years, two more boys were born into the Mercado family; both needed extensive medical attention. The strain took its toll, and finally, the family moved in with Doris<U+2019> beloved grandmother in the mountain town of Jayuya. After the move, Doris<U+2019> life deteriorated. Her mother beat her repeatedly with a broomstick, and Doris spent many days nursing badly bruised limbs. Life continued to fall apart for the Mercado clan, particularly when Doris<U+2019> paternal grandmother invited Lina and the youngest children to New York for a fresh start. Doris and five of her siblings were left in the care of their father, although it was 14-year-old Doris who assumed chief responsibility. Within days of her mother<U+2019>s departure, Doris<U+2019> father also walked out without explanation, leaving Doris and the others to fend for themselves. This living arrangement continued for another three years. Doris warned the children to keep their situation secret, so they wouldn<U+2019>t alert the authorities. This profoundly sad story of neglect is told in simple, direct language. Doris<U+2019> capacity for forgiveness is astonishing, as is her single-minded focus on the love she feels for the brothers and sister left in her care. She eventually moved to the U.S., and her reunification with her parents was filled with more pain and abuse. Mercado<U+2019>s reaching adulthood in one piece is remarkable; arriving with her soul intact is miraculous. A straightforward, moving story about resilience.
600	1	4	_aMercado Torres, Doris. _9253092 _2Local
650		0	_aPuerto Rican families _zMassachusetts _xBiography. _9155338 _2Local
650		0	_aHispanic American homeless persons _zMassachusetts _xBiography. _9235372 _2Local
650		0	_aPuerto Ricans _zMassachusetts _xBiography. _9155373 _2Local
650		0	_aFamilies _zPuerto Rico _xBiography. _994570 _2Local
651		0	_aJayuya P.R _xSocial conditions _y20th century. _9117058 _2Local
651		0	_aPonce (P.R.) _xSocial conditions _y20th century. _2Local _9295790
999			_c249038 _d249038