Julia Alvarez made her mark on the American literary horizon with the 1991 publication of her debut novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, a story based on her own family's bicultural experiences. This Critical Companion introduces readers to the life and works of Dominican American writer Alvarez and examines the thematic and cultural concerns that run through her novels. Full literary analysis is provided for each, including historical context for the factually based works, In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) and In the Name of Salome (2000). A brief biography and a chapter on the Latino novel help students to understand the personal and literary influences in Alvarez's writing.