Who is Esmeralda Santiago from the memoir, When I Was Puerto Rican?

The author of the book, Esmeralda Santiago, is called Negi by her family and friends and says that she doesn't realize this is a nickname for many years. The name Negi is short for Negrita which is what she was initially called because of her dark coloring. Esmeralda is born in Puerto Rico to Pablo and Ramona. Her life as a child is caught up in the arguments of her parents and her relationship with her siblings. There are only two as the story begins, sisters Delsa and Norma, but the family is soon expanded with the birth of four more children. Esmeralda chaffs under the responsibility of being the oldest and she says that she believes her relationship with her mother suffers because of her status as the oldest. When her mother goes to work, Esmeralda's responsibility is increased and when she's left in charge of her siblings, she finds that she has little control. When her younger brother Raymond is injured in an accident, Esmeralda feels that she's let down her mother and her brother. In America, Esmeralda is determined to succeed and convinces a school official that she should be placed in her correct grade - eighth - though she cannot speak English well with the agreement that she will go to seventh grade if she can't keep up.