Taina Torres ’23 publishes book preserving Puerto Rican history in Aurora

When Taina Torres ’23 was crowned Miss Puerto Rico of Aurora in 2023, she saw it not just as a title, but as a platform. While completing her bachelor’s degree at Aurora University, Torres had begun researching the stories of Puerto Ricans in her hometown. That work has now culminated in the official publication of her book: “Borinquen is Our Homeland, But Aurora is Our Home.”

Available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover on Amazon, the book documents the lives and contributions of Puerto Ricans in Aurora, including community leaders like Emilio Berrios Matos, a 102-year-old labor advocate and member of Aurora’s Puerto Rican community for 71 years who Torres interviewed before his passing.

Filling gaps in the historical record

From an early age, Torres was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage. Her parents named her after the Taíno, Puerto Rico’s Indigenous people. Yet growing up in Aurora, she noticed that her American history classes skipped over the island’s past and its people. That gap in education sparked a mission.

“I wanted to learn about my own history,” she said. “I wanted to learn about our triumphs and our failures. I wanted to be a more informed Puerto Rican, because I think history grants credibility, and when you know your own history, you have an assurance of yourself.”

Torres came to AU with support from the Santos Maisonet Scholarship, awarded by the local Puerto Rican Fraternal Order. She double-majored in Business Administration and History, and completed her senior project on local Puerto Rican history.

“If it’s not written down, it gets lost,” she said. “What isn’t lost, it’s my honor to recover, to get it written down.”

A purpose beyond the page

Now, with her self-published book, Torres says the work is just beginning.

“Seeing my book in the hands of my community feels as though the work has just begun,” she said. “I worked tirelessly for almost three years to ensure that Puerto Ricans in Aurora had access to their history and accomplishments. Now it is their turn to utilize the lessons of the past to forge a brighter future.”

The response from her community has been emotional and affirming.

“The most meaningful feedback I received was, ‘Thank you,’” she said. “This is the first time many Puerto Ricans in Aurora can read a book that allows them to confidently say, ‘We broke barriers. We made Aurora a better city for all Latinos. We made history.’”

The experience also reaffirmed her sense of purpose.

“Writing and publishing this book made me realize that my life purpose was to help empower my community in the same way it empowered me throughout my life,” she said. “When you go up, you’re supposed to bring someone with you. I’m bringing my entire community.”

Her father, Carlos M. Torres, a musician, came up with the title while writing a plena based on her research. A plena is a music genre that tells listeners about current or historical events and originated in Puerto Rico when literacy rates were low.

“The plena my dad is making will allow for more people to easily consume historical knowledge in Spanish,” Torres said. “For older-generation Puerto Ricans, this is particularly important.”

Though the recording is still in progress, it’s a fitting extension of the book’s cultural heartbeat.

“There is no Puerto Rico without music,” she continued. “Bringing that traditional music over two thousand miles to Aurora shows that we haven’t forgotten where we come from. We’ve simply brought pieces of what make us Puerto Rican to Aurora, Illinois, and made the city more vibrant as a result.”

Looking ahead, Torres hopes the book will ignite pride and action, especially among the next generation.

“We cannot allow another generation of people to grow complacent and, in turn, endorse the erosion of our community,” she said. “We must show up. We must act. But most importantly, we must utilize the education gifted to us by our community to reinforce the foundation of the Puerto Rican community in Aurora for decades. The torch is ours now.”