Unpaved to Paved Roads by Sarah Helena Vazquez

About My Book
Unpaved to Paved Roads

“My walk was distinctive. My feet were like an old married couple. My left foot turned inward as I walked. It looked as if it was always greeting the right foot. The right foot was always positioned straight and never wanted to pay any mind to my left foot’s gestures. I think there were even times when the left foot would make fun of my right foot, calling it names such as ‘know it all, stuck up, and snooty.’ The right would turn and respond to the left foot. And that is when I would lose my balance, trip, and fall.”

The compilation of essays that make up Unpaved to Paved Roads is an autobiography that gives insight into the life of a young Puerto Rican woman who grew up in one of the most urban cities in the country, Newark, New Jersey. Sarah Helena Vazquez takes the reader on a journey of self-awakening and self-discovery that, at its heart, is propelled by Sarah’s single mother of four who encourages her to follow her dreams in spite of the lifelong reality that she has a disability that tends to make her trip and fall.

Sarah is very aware that the world sees her as “different.”

“As I tried to settle into my seat, their eyes seemed to pop out of their eye-sockets as if the action was mesmerizing. Their heads could no longer keep their eyes in place. I was simply taking one of my books out of my bag. They followed my hands into my bag the way a movie-goer anxiously follows the main character’s every move in order to understand the plot.”

But Sarah in return sees people as she sees herself. In her eyes, the common thread that unites all people is their ability to have dreams.

Time and time again, Sarah is faced with obstacles that lead her to lessons of faith, love, strength, healing, and perseverance. Her life lessons stem from the relationships with her family, friends, lover, and even from a one-time meeting. She creates a paved road from an unpaved road and ascertains the somebody she was meant to be.