Riving-Ton-Ton-Ton: The Letty Vargas Story

Riving-Ton-Ton-Ton tells the story of Leticia “Letty” Cruz, a New Yorker who was born into a close-knit Puerto Rican family. The book documents her life, spanning from a tumultuous childhood punctuated by poverty and violence to her coming of age as a mother and wife.

This biographical story starts just where you’d expect it to: Letty’s childhood. The author is incredibly assiduous at describing New York in the early 1960s, comparing the violent backdrop of Williamsburg, Brooklyn to the gentrified version we know of today. The author high-lights the importance of New York City immediately and the role it plays in Letty's story.

This part of the book also provides a social commentary on the Puerto Rican community at the time in New York. Letty is a witness to an array of experiences: drug overdoses, bullies, racial tension, the demise of her parents’ marriage. Letty searches for solace in her friends and her younger sibling.

There are moments of humor in here too, especially when she meets her boyfriend and subsequent husband, Stone. Letty is a tough nut to crack. She is no fan of the status quo in terms of the conjugal roles in modern marriage and refuses to be a subordinate wife. At times, these altercations between a passionate Letty and a more subdued Stone are rather comedic. They highlight an unfortunate truth of men, especially in Letty’s community, taking the women in their lives for granted.

Share in Letty’s coming-of-age with this true tale of her difficult trials and joyous moments in the Puerto Rican diaspora. Take a stroll down memory lane with her and share a part of her life's journey. You'll read stories and mementos that will touch your heart.