Peterson, Marianela

Marianela Peterson was born in Havana, Cuba in the early 1960's. Four months later, her family emigrated from that Caribbean island and sought political refuge in the United States. Her father died shortly after settling them down in Chicago. Marianela and her brother were raised by their widowed mother who worked two factory jobs to provide for her children and give them a Catholic school education and by their grandmother who nurtured them and made sure they got to school on time and did their homework. Growing up in a bilingual/bicultural home, Marianela became fascinated with language, wor...