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“But I was hell-bent on trying, no matter what. I was determined to keep all the regrets in my past.”

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“The violence that night was a passage, it turned out, the first stone in an avalanche of heartache."

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“I was from a different world, their shared look told me, and while I could visit their world, have nice lunches, and pretend to belong, at the end of the day I was still an outsider.”

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“I cannot separate myself from who and what I was before, and I can’t erase the things I have done that are wrong.... It is my past, and I am it.”

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“And there was no great fall for me, merely a steady slide. I chose the parties and the fighting and the sense of acceptance I believed the gang would give me.”

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This picture of a female working hard to climb with success is reflective of the time when Mona worked hard to achieve her goal of becoming a police officer.  “But I was hell-bent on trying, no matter what. I was determined to keep all the regrets in my past.” This is an example of perseverance because it shows how determined and motivated she was to overcome her hardships and push to success.

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This picture of a woman crying and or mourning is reflective of all the times Mona encountered tragedy, whether it be related to friends, family, or herself. “The violence that night was a passage, it turned out, the first stone in an avalanche of heartache." This is an example of tragedy because it shows how often she would encounter tragedy and be faced with incredibly melancholy experiences throughout the entirety of her life.

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This picture of a ring of same colored figures and a different colored figure is reflective of the time when Mona was an outsider in her  station. “I was from a different world, their shared look told me, and while I could visit their world, have nice lunches, and pretend to belong, at the end of the day I was still an outsider.” This is an example of an outsider because it shows how she could pretend to be a part of their world, and tell herself she was, but at the end of the day they judged her for her past and wouldn’t look at her as their equal.

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This picture of a woman’s side profile being diffused, implying different sides of identity, is reflective of the time Mona realized who she was as a person and how far she’s come. “I cannot separate myself from who and what I was before, and I can’t erase the things I have done that are wrong.... It is my past, and I am it.” This is an example of identity because it shows how she’s come to know and identify herself, coming to an epiphany of her past and present self.

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This picture of two girls looking stressed as they sit together on a curb is reflective of the time when Mona was beginning to grow up with her sister, Lydia, and her childhood slowly but surely came to an end as she slipped into the grasps of the gangs. “And there was no great fall for me, merely a steady slide. I chose the parties and the fighting and the sense of acceptance I believed the gang would give me.” This is an example of coming of age since once her closest sibling left, she began to witness new things such as murder, assault, drug use, violence, etc. To which, this lead to the end of her childhood and forcing her to grow up at such a young age where she turned to gangs for the sense of security and mentorship.

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“Remember: Take everything head-on, with your eyes open.”

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This picture of a woman lifting up her hand in confidence and courage is reflective of the time when Mona chose to become successful not only for herself, but for her children as well. “Remember: Take everything head-on, with your eyes open.” This is an example of courage because throughout the book you can really see that Mona took this to heart as she worked towards her success and came to realize what was good for her and what would only get in her way. To which, she overcomes her obstacles and dedicates herself to success, truly showing the power of courage.