Almost a Woman is a 2001 made-for-television film, directed by Betty Kaplan

Betty Kaplan

Betty Kaplan is a Venezuelan-American film director born in New York City and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She has directed Betty Kaplan is a Venezuelan-American film director born in New York City and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She has directed Betty Kaplan is a Venezuelan-American film...

 and based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Puerto Rican

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 writer Esmeralda Santiago

Esmeralda Santiago

Esmeralda Santiago is a Puerto Rican author and former actress known for her novels and memoirs.-Early life:Santiago was born on 17 May 1948 in the San Juan district of Villa Palmeras, Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1961, she came to the continental United States when she was thirteen years old, the...

. This captivating movie is about a young woman named Esmeralda and her family move to New York from a rural area of Puerto Rico. The transition is difficult due to the many challenges she and her family face. Esmeralda Santiago (Ana Maria Lagasca) takes on the life roles of daughter, student and translator for her family. She excels at everything she does, and then she trains to become a stage actress after prompting from her high school guidance counselor. She encounters struggles in the pursuit of her dreams, yet the challenges give her the life experience to become a great actress and teacher.