Sonia struggled to grow up in a volatile home filled with poverty and abuse in the South Bronx in the 1950s. Her Hispanic heritage defined her, and she communicated in both English y Español with her family, friends and the world. She watched her mother get pummeled repeatedly by her alcoholic father, and she too felt the brunt of his abuse. On occasion, he sent her to the hospital. The violence of the family was passed down, and Sonia ended up attacking her father to stop him from hurting her mother, and she randomly hurt another kid. A rage about her circumstances consumed her, and she spat it out onto other people. 

Despite all of this, Sonia had a fire in her. She wanted to be someone, and she strived to transcend her early beginnings. She became infatuated with drama and performing. At the High School for Performing Arts, she auditioned for and won parts in school plays. She eventually won a scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Later, she obtained an agent and launched her acting career. Sonia was continually shocked when people offered her jobs; she needed confidence in herself. She craved success, yet she feared it. When her agent encouraged her to audition for Sesame Street, she told a scary story as she would relate it to a little kid to compete for the part. The show's executive producer, Jon Stone, beamed praise on her.  

Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano, 2015

I absolutely love how the book ends. This book gripped me from the very first page; it is immediately apparent how intelligent and interesting Sonia is. In fact, I heard her speak at a Children's Literary Salon. Upon meeting her, I was intrigued, and further investigated her books. Despite her harrowing childhood, she is such a lovely and upbeat person.

Sonia Manzano's web site