"Esmeralda Santiago is a star among today's preeminent Latina authors. Legions of fans have waited five long years for the next chapter of the story begun in her memoirs When I Was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman." "In The Turkish Lover, Esmeralda finally breaks out of a monumental struggle with her powerful mother - only to come under the thrall of Ulvi, an older, more worldly Turkish man. Esmeralda then discovers that romantic passion, too, can become a prison." "Her journey of self-liberation and self-discovery is a daring one, and leads to her triumphant graduation from Harvard. Throughout, she details her affair with Ulvi, using the lens of their troubled relationship to explore racism, sexism, feminism, and the value of education - and ultimately unveiling a person who, against all odds, emerges victorious."--BOOK JACKET.