In addition to being Maria on Sesame Street, she has garnered 15 Emmys for writing television scripts, written critically praised books for children and young adults, and received awards that include the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Award and the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education. Sonia Manzano, a member of the Commission on the Arts, is an actress and author. Doing so is a way to understand ourselves and connect with the people around us.” About the Artist
But I put myself in the shoes of kids in my sister Caribbean Island, which is what I hope readers of this book do – put themselves in other people’s shoes. Manzano said the character of Maria has paralleled her lifeher pregnancy was written into the show, and her daughter played Maria’s daughter, for exampleso she thinks of Sesame Street as the first reality show. “Listeners should know that I am not Cuban.
Their stories provide a window into how the Revolution affected young people in Cuba, and how they were able to persist. The four main characters are Ana (the daughter of a revolutionary), Miguel (a privileged boy), Zulema (an illiterate guajira, or peasant girl), and Juan (a poor Afro-Cubano). While her character Maria on Sesame Street was starting a family, Sonia Manzano was raising her daughter.
It is a fictional account of what might have happened to four young people whose lives are upended by the Cuban Revolution. “I’m so glad for the opportunity to share from my upcoming book Coming Up Cuban.
