When Sonia Manzano, the actress who has played Maria on “Sesame Street” since its early years, announced her retirement earlier this summer, it really felt like the end of an era. When I was little and watching “Sesame Street”, Maria was like the cool babysitter you’d always want to have. Later, when I continued watching (and secretly enjoying) “Sesame Street” with my younger siblings, I loved checking in on the more mature Maria’s love life, her eventual marriage to Luis and the birth of their daughter Gabi. 

Perhaps it’s indicative of my youth at the time, but I confess that I never really wondered or even thought much about the actress, Sonia Manzano, who played Maria. She simply was Maria, so I was pretty much completely oblivious to the fact that Manzano, in addition to playing the role of Maria since 1971, also served as a writer for the show, being nominated for and winning several Emmys for her work both on and off screen. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating to read Manzano’s new memoir, BECOMING MARIA, which is a fearless depiction of her difficult childhood and young adulthood in the Bronx, a story of the circuitous path that led her to “Sesame Street.”

"BECOMING MARIA offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman many of us might not have thought twice about --- but who became one of the most familiar faces to children over the last 45 years."

Sonia’s mother told Sonia and her brothers and sister horrific stories about her own childhood in Puerto Rico. These stories that made Sonia glad she was growing up in the Bronx, even though their family rarely had enough money, even though her dad drank too much and sometimes beat up her mother and threatened the rest of the family in his jealous, drunken rages. Sonia spent much of her childhood trying to figure out how her family fit into their Bronx neighborhood and into American society as a whole and how she fit into her family and her community, as well. She always longed for something different than the limited options she saw other young women pursuing, but she lacked real role models who could have showed her a different way. Only when a teacher recognized her gift for acting did she begin to see a way toward a different kind of future. 

Fans of “Sesame Street” may find themselves disappointed that Manzano doesn’t spend more time dishing about her years as a young cast member on the fledgling television show. She barely even mentions the show by name, in fact. But careful readers who know Manzano’s work on the show will recognize hints in her narrative --- the mind-blowing moment when she recognizes, as a very young child, that she has the same number of toes as she has fingers; the appreciation she gains as a young drama student for the expressive work of Charlie Chaplin; her desire to see more televised examples of brown girls like her. 

That’s not to say Manzano’s memoir is perfect --- at times, especially the portions describing her early years, she writes from such an intentionally limited viewpoint that the narrative can seem stifling or disorienting. Later on, it can be difficult to keep track of the various neighbors, relatives and friends who move in and out of Sonia’s life, and some judicious editing could have resulted in a tighter and more focused life story. But nevertheless, BECOMING MARIA offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman many of us might not have thought twice about --- but who became one of the most familiar faces to children over the last 45 years.