WHEN I WAS ELENA
A Memoir by Ellen Urbani
- Book Groups
- Collegiate and Highschool Lectures
- Reading Guide
- Read an Excerpt
- Endorsements
- Reviews
- Reader Comments
- HAVE ELLEN:
Speak at your next event;
Lecture at your college or highschool;
Interact directly with your book group.
Learn more about the Peace Corps, support development work in Guatemala and read work by other Peace Corps Volunteers
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 5 - Elena's Story
"It would be simple for me to allow this tale to digress and then degrade into a scathing denouncement belittling and chastising the Hispanic male. I admit my bias plainly, and if you have not noticed yet you will see soon, again and again, the tortured roots from which my proclivity springs. It is my hope that in being forthright my prejudiced statements may be judged on a balanced scale that takes into account the troubled experiences that birthed them..."
Download the full excerpt [pdf]
Chapter 6 - Rosa's Story
"My life is a life that is full of good luck. When I said this to Elena, she agreed about this idea with me. My life is simple but not hard, as it could be, and has had many happy moments in it with more to come, I am sure. I have a very special husband. I have healthy children. I have an americana for a best friend. I have many blessings that others do not..."
