"Before we were Free" is an incredible book by Julia Alvarez that tells the story of life in the Dominican Republic under the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl named Anita. She is the daughter of the man who takes on the rebellion after the assassination of the Mirabel sisters. Anita and her extended family live in a compound- but soon Anita's extended family finds it no longer safe to stay in the Dominican Republic and evacuates. This leaves Anita, her brother, sister, Chucha (the housekeeper), and her parents alone in the compound. Soon after, the fight for independence begins in the Dominican Republic. Anita and her family find themselves in grave danger as "The Butterflies" are assassinated; for Anita's father creates a plan to destroy the dictatorship and Anita and her mother are forced to go into hiding.
