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“Being genetically related doesn’t make you family, love, support, trust, sacrifice, honesty, acceptance, protection, security, compromise, gratitude, respect, and loyalty are what make you family.” - anonymous. I think that this quote means that just because you are related to someone by blood, that doesn’t mean that they will impact your life in a good way, and that the people who help you and make your life better are your true family.

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“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity.  It is an act of justice.” - Nelson Mandela, 2005

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Benjamin Bailey

(Tap on photo to enlarge)

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Family can help you get through life's adversities

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Family can help you get through life's adversities

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Supportive  family and persistence can....

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Supportive  family and persistence can....

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“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, figure out how to climb it. Go through it or work around it.” - Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, one of America’s most famous basketball players, was one of the many few who spoke up and took up a challenge without anyone telling him to. He never gave up, always surprising the world with a new move or shot. He inspired millions of young kids and adults to grit your teeth and climb that wall. With support, hope, and perseverance, you can do anything you set your mind to. In the book, Benefits of Being and Octopus by Ann Braden, twelve year old Zoey Albro, the protagonist, struggles with poverty, verbal abuse and bullying. She has so many hardships and obstacles in her life, but she eventually gets the support she needs from her friends and her teacher, Ms. Rochambeau, to overcome all the adversities she faces, and to navigate all of life’s ups and downs.

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“Don’t let your fear of being judged stop you from asking for help when you need it.” -anonymous
This quote demonstrates that your never going to make it if your afraid and never ask. I think this quote means that without asking for help your never going to make it fair without people beside you helping. In the book, Benefits of Being an Octopus, by Ann Braden, is about a girl named zoey who struggles in asking for help, she’s a very quiet 12 year old girl. As the main character, Zoey also struggles with poverty, verbal abuse, and bulling. Because of her supportive teacher, and the kind friendship they have built, Zoey will grow to be a very bright girl.

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“A tongue has no bones but it can break a heart.”- Anonymous. This quote captures the meanings of verbal abuse. No matter if it’s a quick 10 second speech or a long 10 minute speech, those words can last a lifetime. One word could end a lifetime of happiness, be aware of what you say words are like nails they can leave lasting marks. Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden, Zoey a twelve year old girl struggles with verbal abuse, gun violence, bullying and poverty. Zoey stays quiet about her struggles, later on she finds her voice and confidence.

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“Being separated from you is like being a completely different person, because when I am with you, you make me a whole lot nicer” -Blance. This quote means that when you are separated from someone you are close to, your personality can change, the particular reason for this is because one person can make an impact on how you act and think, they can give you hope. But when they are not around anymore you start to lose a good side of you, meaning that the impact that someone has made on you will start to fade and go away. In the book, Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros the main character, Efren, is struggling after his Ama, mother, got deported. He starts to hide from others, his grades drop, and he feels more ashamed of himself. This is because Ama was an important person to him, she made him feel safe and loved.

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“Leaving home always means leaving with your feet, never with your heart.” - Anonymous. What this quote interprets is that even though you leave home, you never really do. It doesn’t matter how far away you are from your family by distance, it only matters how close you are from the heart. Although it’s hard to leave home, we should always remember that the heartaches will slowly drift away. In the book, The Only Road, by Alexandra Diaz, Jamie, The protagonist, is a 12 year old boy from Guatemala that struggles with numerous social issues such as immigration, gang violence, and poverty.

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Quote : I’ve learned that is not what I have in my life, but who I have in my life that counts. - unknown

This quote means that it doesn’t matter how much or what you have, it matters about the people around you and that they are there for you. No matter how much you have you will never be complete unless you have good friends and family. No matter how much money you have it will never replace the happiness your friends and family could bring you the hope they bring, and the love that they have for you. In the book Front Desk by Kelly Yang. 11 year old Mia, the protagonist struggles with poverty, Verbal abuse, and bullying. She keeps silent and doesn't tell anyone about her problems except her best friend Lupe.

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Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you” Misty Copeland. This quote means to me is people try to conquer hardships on their own, but they end up failing. People who have friends to support them through their challenges will always succeed, mabey at first it seems impossible but with the support of friends it will always be possible. In the book Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. A young twelve year old girl named Zoey struggles with verbal abuse, extreme poverty, bullying, and neglect, this causes her to not ask for help from anyone. Yet throughout the story with the support of people around her she finds out that asking for help is the right thing to do.

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“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” -Walter Elliot. This quote captures the little victories in life. Some that you don’t celebrate and some that you do. Until you reach the finish line, and that’s when you celebrate that very small battle. The battle you weren’t able to celebrate because of the difficult times still to come. That battle that gave you hope to preserve through those difficult times. That battle that made you stronger than you thought you would ever be. That small battle, that made you a braver being.

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It’s not  the bruises on the body that hurt. It’s the wounds on the heart and the scars in the mind. -Aisha Mirza This quote means that when someone says something mean to you, what they said will stay in your mind and it will make you feel bad about yourself. When someone hits you, it’s not the bruises that hurt, it’s the impact on your mind and how it makes you feel about yourself.

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“Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance.” - Abigail Adams. This quote illustrates that when you really want something you just have to try hard and have paincents. This quote matches the book that I am reading, A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi. One of the protagonist's names is  Sakina, she struggles with poverty. Sakina has always wanted to go to school, but her family could never afford it. But that all changed when she met the granddaughter of the family that the father works for. She helped her with English, and she became the friend that Sakina needed to get through the hard times that her family I’d going through.

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“Family is the support you will never have to pay for because come rain, or shine, they will be there to cheer you on about any one of your life goals.” -anonymous.

I think this quote demonstrates that family is always there for you through any ups and downs and they will always support whatever decision you make. In the book The Only Road written by Alexandra Diaz this explains and demonstrates very well how 12 year old Jaime, the protagonist struggles from gang violence, immigration and poverty throughout the story. Jaime would not have made it if it weren’t for his friends and family supporting him throughout the journey giving him hope. Jaime’s cousin Angela stayed by Jaime’s side the whole journey and gave him hope to persevere through the dangers and difficult times.

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“Dissolve your ego before it dissolves yourself.” -Maxime Lagace. This quote captures the essence of how if you let your ego get too big, it will slowly destroy you. You simply cannot let your ego get in the way of everything because it will mess you up. Destroying your ego is key to your success. In True Legend by Mike Lupica, fifteen year-old Drew Robinson, a basketball phenom, struggles with his ego getting too big. In the beginning of the book, he acts like everything is about him, being extremely good at basketball at such a young age. As the book goes on, he meets someone called Urban “Legend” Sellers.  Legend helps Drew by trash-talking but also telling the truth at the same time. At the end, Drew finally lets go of his ego which helps him succeed in every aspect.

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. “Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration  to reach great heights, and our comfort for when’ we occasionally falter”- This quote by Brad Henry the former governor of Oklahoma captures that your family is your biggest support system and they will always remain with you through thick and thin. In the book The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz , Twelve- Year old Jaime , the protagonist struggles with Gang Violence, Immigration and Poverty. However Jaime’s fifteen year old cousin Àngela. After Miguel died Àngela and Jamie started to form a closer bond with one another. On the hard trip to the U.S they always had each other’s backs and helped each other when they needed help

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“At any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.”-Christine Mason Miller

This quote means that people that are abusive want you to think you have no power. But you do have power and you have enough power to walk away from someone who is making your life miserable.

At the beginning of the book dougs brother is hitting him and making him feel powerless. and the next day doug tells no one because he knows that no one will do anything so he keeps his mouth shut

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“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, it became a butterfly.” -Anonymous. When people are going through tough times, everything might seem as though the world is coming to an end. Once you get through the darkest part of the tunnel though, you will reach the opening. Things can help you get through the tunnel, too. Doug Sweiteck, a boy in middle school, has a rough life. He struggles with an abusive father and teachers that hate him. He’s got a brother with a bad reputation and it rubs off on him. Doug moves into a town in upstate New York called Marysville, due to his father getting a new job. In the beginning of the book, everyone seems to hate him and his family. He meets a girl named Lil who doesn’t seem to like him at first, and he makes an enemy out of the librarian. He meets an old man who works at the library named Mr. Powell. Mr. Powell teaches Doug how to draw, and he learns to love it. Drawing helps Doug get through the hardships in his life.

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Hope is the only thing stronger than fear, by Robert Ludlum.I feel this means that even in the scary story parts of life hope can get you through. Or that when you scared all you need is hope because hope can give you what you need to face any fear. In the book Front Desk by Kelly yang, ten year old Mia finds her self dealing with poverty, verbal abuse, and immigration. But with the help of her friends and family she starts to become less shy and starts to peruse her dream of becoming a writer

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“Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very Often it’s the place where we find the deepest heartache.” Iyanla Vanzant. It can be said that humans need other people to help them through ups and downs. However, some people don’t have a supporting family to share their problems with. In the book Ok For Now, by Gary D. Schimidt, 14 year old Doug struggles through physical and verbal abuse by his older brother and dad.

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Intro paragraph Quote:

“Family isn’t important. It’s everything”- Michael J. Fox

Micheal J. Fox is an actor who has been through Parkinson's disease so he has lost all hope because Parkinson’s disease is very deadly so he has experience with losing hope. This quote captures “The Only Road” because they rely on each other more than anyone else in the world. Family gives hope, family gives help, family is everything. This quote also captures the book because Jamie says “What if he was all alone? What if all of this—the lost bags, the lack of food and water, this whole trip his fault” Angela, Jamie’s cousin has been with him on their journey and they supported each other and each of them gave each other hope and hope is what you need to get through life and if he lost hope he would not make it. This resonates with me because when I get home to my family I feel safe, I feel supported, my family gives me hope to get through this pandemic if I didn’t have them I would be struggling so much, so that is why this quote resonates within me. The biggest cause for depression is loneliness parents are supposed to be there to support the kid but if the parents aren’t there they don’t have anyone to support them and usually go into depression.These reasons support why this quote captures me and the book “ The Only Road”.

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“Family is a life jacket in a stormy sea of life”- J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling is a British author, philanthropist, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, and also the author of the famous series Harry Potter. She means that whatever life throws at you your family is always there to support you through life’s hardships and adversities. In the book, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, 12 year old Guatemalan Jaime, the protagonist, struggles with gang violence, immigration, and poverty. Regardless of Jaime’s struggles he is able to overcome them due to friendships and family.

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“Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” Anthony Liccione. Any normal person would have to have support from family or friends if they want to accomplish anything in life. That is what he means from the quote because he is basically saying if you have a supportive family you can do anything. In the book The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, a boy Jaime, the protagonist, struggles with poverty, gang violence, immigration, and abuse. He has so many troubles in life that his family helps push him through and gives him hope.

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"Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family" ~ Ban Ki-moon

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“It’s like one day you flipped a switch and became someone I never knew.” - Anonymous. This quote captures that if someone abuses you you will never be the same person you thought you’d be. Benefits Of Being An Octopus by Ann Braden. Lenny, Zoey’s step dad is constantly abusing Zoey’s mom emotionally and is leading her into depression. And when Zoey’s mom forgets to give the paper bill in the mail Lenny is furious but what really happened is Zoey’s mom didn’t pay the bill because they are struggling in money.

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“It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it.” — Peter Buffett. This quote captures how it doesn’t matter how much money you have, but having a loving, considerate family. They’re lots of people out there that don’t have good families or a favorable household, just like twelve-year old protagonist, Zoey, in the book Benefits of Being an Octopus. Zoey experiences from poverty, bullying, abuse, and neglect. Zoey kept quiet about her problems because she was ashamed. But, with the help of her friends, Zoey finally finds the strength to speak up for herself and manages to escape the abuse and neglect . Without these friends, Zoey would have never had the courage to speak up to her mom about how she was feeling.

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“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family" ~ Ban Ki-moon

This quote means “Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity” is a different, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part of our very make-up as a human family

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“A good friend is like a four-leaf clover hard to find and lucky to have.” -Irish Proverb    What this quote means is that a friend is not really easy to find and it is not just talking to someone and pretending to know them but when you get to know a person  it really helps you with problems and with struggles in life, and that’s why you are lucky.For example: In my book Raina had a problem with Michelle but then Raina’s best friend and therapist helped a lot Raina’s relationship with Michelle.

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“A good friend is like a four-leaf clover hard to find and lucky to have.” -Irish Proverb    What this quote means is that a friend is not really easy to find and it is not just talking to someone and pretending to know them but when you get to know a person  it really helps you with problems and with struggles in life, and that’s why you are lucky.For example: In my book Raina had a problem with Michelle but then Raina’s best friend and therapist helped a lot Raina’s relationship with Michelle.

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“My family is my life, and everything else comes second as far as what’s important to me.” –Michael Imperioli. What this quote is trying to interpret is that family is more important than anything in the whole world. In the book, Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros a 12 year old boy Efren Nava struggles to face immigration, poverty, and family issues. While having to juggle all these problems at once he still finds a way to be a parent to his two little siblings and help his father get his mother back from Mexico.

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The Benefits of Being an Octopus, and The Importance of Finding Your Voice. By Spencer Garrison

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The Benefits of Being an Octopus, and The Importance of Finding Your Voice. By Spencer Garrison

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“I guess they’re actually not stories if they’re real things that happen to real people. They are: Things That Need To Be Said.” -Zoey Albro, The Benefits of Being an Octopus

The Benefits Of Being An Octopus is a book about finding your voice and gathering the courage to speak up. In our story the protagonist, Zoey, and her mother are verbally abused by a controlling boyfriend named Lenny. They also suffer from crippling poverty, barely being able to keep the lights on and not being able to buy clothes as just two examples. Throughout the book Zoey is forced to stay quiet, she is bullied at school, at home, and in her own head, as she is firmly told she can't do certain things. But when more and more things start to go wrong Zoey, with the help of a teacher and 2 friends, begins to find her voice to speak up for, and tell the stories of everyone else who suffers issues of poverty, verbal abuse, and even gun violence.

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My response

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“You’re going to come across people in your life who say all the right words at the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s action, not words, that matter.” Nicholas Sparks. What this means is that some people seem like a good person based on their words but you need to see their actions to see if they really are what their words tell you. In the book Benifits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden, the main character Zoey is experiencing bullying, verbal abuse, gun violence, and poverty. And while all this is happening Zoey’s mom’s boyfriend is abusing Zoey's mother while Zoey is not around. Zoey doesn’t know about it until one night she spies her mom and Lenny and sees what Lenny is really like when Zoey is not around. Zoey doesn’t talk about her struggles until later in the book when she realizes that she has to help her mom, her siblings, and herself get a better life. With the help of her friend and her teacher she is able speak up and navigate to a better life.

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“Don’t focus on your enemies or haters.  Focus on the people that love and support you because those are the people that matter.” -Anonymous.  It has been said that focusing on the people who try to knock you down will knock you down, but focusing on the people who try to help you back up will give you strength and confidence.  This is demonstrated in the book The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden, where twelve year old Zoey is bullied, verbally abused, and ignored because of her poverty and family issues.  After focusing on the people that try to knock her down for a while, she finally looks to the people like her teacher, friends, and family who support and advise her while she finds her voice to get herself heard.

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“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” –Jane Howard

This quote shows that you don’t necessarily need family but you need a supporter or somebody to guide you in your future. Nobody can make it on their own, everyone needs someone to help them and even if it’s not family that one person can do what you would’ve wanted your family to do and guide you to a better life.

In the book “The Benefits of Being an Octopus” Zoey’s family suffered severe poverty and was almost as unsupportive as possible. Zoey home life was very tough which made her very quiet and made her feel like she didn’t have a voice, but then she met Ms. Rochambeau. Ms. Rochambeau wanted to help Zoey but she didn’t want the help. Eventually Ms. Rochambeau was able to help Zoey find her voice in the debate club. Ms. Rochambeau was the supporter Zoey needed in her life.

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“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Martin Luther King, Jr. In this world there are many different people with different qualities, traits, and backgrounds.

When somebody looks at another and immediately dislikes that person without knowing them just because of the color of their skin, they ignore the great qualities of that person and miss out on what could be a great friend. In the book New Kid by Jerry Craft the main character Jordan Banks struggles with loneliness, racial discrimination, and financial aid. He is ashamed of needing financial aid, Jordan doesn’t know where he belongs when he thinks he belongs with the black race they say Jordan is too light and when he thinks he belongs with the white race they say he is too dark which leads Jordan to feel like an outsider. Later on in the book Jordan begins to not care about what others think with the help of Jordan’s friends Andrew and Liam who support him along his journey to feeling like he fits in.

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“We have to be visible. We should not be ashamed of who we are. There are many of us out there.” - Sylvia Rivera. The message that Sylvia was trying to convey is that no one should feel scared or ashamed to be who they are, people should not be discriminated against because of something they cannot change. In the story Rick by Alex Gino, this message is shown very clearly through the relationships that the main character, Rick, has with characters throughout the book. One of the main issues is LGBTQ+ discrimination, which Rick faces on a daily basis. Over time he finally accepts himself and develops healthier relationships with new people,  eventually finding the courage to be who he is and stand up to the negative people in his life.

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“Once I thought of writing a history of the immigrants in America. Then, I discovered that the immigrants were American history.” - Oscar Handlin. It can be said that the Immigrants in the US have to navigate their way through life’s ups and downs. Most immigrants have come a long way. From getting sent back to their country, to living in their country that they would love to live in. The immigrants struggle, from learning the language to poverty. In the book, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz,  everyone in Jaime’s small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that’s known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed like  Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There’s only one choice:  with his cousin Ángela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in the United States. The theme of this book is about an boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. It is a story of strangers becoming family, and one boy's marvelous life-changing journey. (Andi)

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“Work without love is slavery”- Mother Theresa. That speaks to me when slaves are told to do work they have to because you have to obey them or they might sell you to a worse master that is more cruel. Everyone needs someone to help them through life. If you don’t you will be a miserable soul especially when you have nothing to do and you are a slave. 

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“Work without love is slavery”- Mother Theresa. That speaks to me when slaves are told to do work they have to because you have to obey them or they might sell you to a worse master that is more cruel. Everyone needs someone to help them through life. If you don’t you will be a miserable soul especially when you have nothing to do and you are a slave. 

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“Immigrants provide skills that we possibly can not afford to do without” Charles Kennedy. Charles Kennedy Shows that immigrant hold with the power they have with helping everyone with different skills. Mia is an immigrant that goes through poverty and gets bullied. It’s even harder when hank gets accused for stealing a car because he’s black.

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In the book The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz it shows that people need other people to get through life. “Nobody really wants to be alone, people need people.” - Alec Soth. The theme of the story is that all of your relationships are important to you, you need them to get through life. The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz is a story of Jaimè, the protagonist, a twelve year old boy who is from Guatemala and has a poor family, and who struggled through many social issues such as poverty, gang violence, and immigration problems as he is on the run from a dangerous gang that killed his cousin. Jaimè has to run from home to escape the dangerous gang, the alphas, and make it to his uncle Tomàs’ house. Jaimè’s relationships with the other characters both help and hinder him along the story.

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This book is called The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz. This book starts off by, Miguel passing away by a rival gang called the alphas in his village. Jamie knows they need to leave Guatemala and try to get past the border with Angela, that’s the only way they can survive. Or they would end up being killed by the alphas.“No one leaves home unless home is a mouth of a shark.”So basically this quote is related to this story cause they leave home because how bad it is there, and they try to get past the border cause they don’t feel like risking their life in Guatemala. So they end up risking their life trying to get past the border to have a better life. In this book the kids struggle with, Gang violence, physical abuse, Immigration, poverty, and gun control. That’s what they struggle with in this book The Only Road.

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My Essay So Far...

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“Not so straight,” she said. She took her pencil and started making little vertical lines, lumps, and curves in my trunk.

“No tree is perfect, remember that,” she said. “That’s what gives it character.”

I smiled at Lupe and how grown-up she sounded. It was one of the things I liked the most about her.” -Front Desk by Kelly Yang