In Cofer's "American History," what story details reflect the writer's background?

Judith Ortiz Cofer is from Puerto Rico and so is her protagonist, Elena. Some details in the story that reflect this common heritage revolve around music, language, food, and certain behaviors. First, the music played in El Building comes from Puerto Rico. The following passage demonstrates the writer's experience with how Puerto Ricans use music to help them cope with the struggles of life:

"El Building was like a monstrous jukebox, blasting out salsas from open windows as the residents . . . tried to drown out whatever they were currently enduring with loud music."

Next, the use of language can reflect an individual culture. For instance, slang terms can help to identify one person with a particular group. Elena's mother tells her that she is "Enamorada," which is a term used to identify a Puerto Rican girl who is "stupidly infatuated." An equivalent turn of phrase akin to "enamorada" for today's teens might be that Elena is "crushing" on Eugene. Since the writer understands the language and slang used in the Puerto Rican culture, such words or phrases are used in her story about a girl not unlike herself.

Third, Cofer must know what it is like to go to a high school where African-American girls joke about a person's background. They tease Elena about eating rice, beans and pork chops. Specifically, the mean girls yell at Elena, "Pork chop, pork chop, did you eat your pork chop?" Cofer also mentions specifically how jealous Elena is that the African-American girls can skip rope better than she can. These deep feelings of inferiority seem to connect Cofer to her protagonist in specific ways only known to one who could have experienced the same.

Finally, when Elena walks home after hearing that President Kennedy was assassinated, Cofer explains how Puerto Ricans show respect for the dead in El Building. First, there is no music spilling out of the building; next, the unemployed men aren't out front complaining about life; then, Elena's mother asks her to go to church with her that evening to show respect for the fallen president. This behavior of the Puerto Rican people show respect for the president they loved. Through Elena, Cofer demonstrates the intricacies of life as a Puerto Rican immigrant in the 1960s.