Welcome to the official website of Puerto Rico's newest author! You are invited to explore the world of her writing and get to know the uniqu.
Immerse yourself in the lush path....
Odemaris Mendoza
Discover the Author
Dive into the captivating journey of Odemaris Mendoza, the person behind the evocative words. Uncover the inspiration, the messages, and the unique storytelling style that defines her work. Learn about the background of her first one-of-a-kind novel, The Gifts of El Jíbaro.
About Odemaris
Born in Puerto Rico from a sharp-edged-smart and ahead of his times jíbaro father and a coastal, industrious and spirited mother, Odemaris was raised in the midst of stories told by her extended family and places she visited, which over time came to become part of her. Emboldened by her sense of whimsy, creativity, finding beauty in nature and her great interest in genealogy, the many stories and enchanting places of her time in Puerto Rico, took a life of their own until retold in her inspiration-filled and unique style.
As per her parents’ plan, she moved to the mainland to study and become a professional, which she accomplished by earning her bachelor’s and master’s degree in education as well as an MBA. She thrives in guiding the next generation to success and has been a dedicated educator for 34 years. The distance from her native land created a yearning to keep her beloved island close, and propelled her to write about Puerto Rico to spotlight its remarkable culture, and the love its people have to be the first ones to come to aid their fellow men.
On any given day, you might find Odemaris out in the water, exploring or making new art, searching for the perfect book, admiring architecture and nature, antiquing, reimagining a décor piece, cooking something new while listening to a different style of music, learning French (she’s getting there), working in her garden or of course, in her place of worship. Occasionally, she’ll play her castanets (she used to dance flamenco in another earlier life, you know). The only things that you won’t find her doing are….ehem....sewing, crocheting and knitting, and THAT is a good thing! But on any given night, you might find her writing to the beat of music heeding the siren’s call to weave words and memories into her next creation.
The Gifts of El Jíbaro
A novel
There is a bit of a “jíbaro”(HEE bah roh) in all of us. The question is just how much? Braulio and Santiago, two childhood jíbaro friends from some of the highest mountains in the center of Puerto Rico, have a destiny that seems to be unlike that of their ancestors. Dreaming of going to Old San Juan and make something of themselves seems quite far-fetched, yet the exceptional pair is quite determined to do so. Will they be able to succeed due to extraordinary hard work, providence, or perhaps to both? Curiously, their journey is punctuated by mysterious pebbles that seem to magically appear and catch them at just the right time in their lives.
All the while they are diligently working on their plans and living a life of outrageous generosity, life presents them with difficult situations that they must navigate not only for themselves, but for the sake of others. Choices must be made that can change history. While traveling to New York, Paris, and Korea, their incredible story of a family's legacy unfolds.
As you explore the enchanting island of Puerto Rico from the 1980’s to the late 1980’s, become enveloped in the sublime melody composed of the island’s beauty, language, history, music, dance, food and legends, but most of all, of its vibrant people, which leave us with the wish of becoming jíbaros ourselves.
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Explore the World of Her Words
Journey through a visual narrative of Odemaris Mendoza's literary creation. Experience the essence of her writing through captivating imagery and her character's world. Learn about her characters' world and see the places where some of the events in the book took place.
