Ava Ashley > Recent Status Updates

The relationship between Lily and Atlas is growing quickly and you can tell that they are building a relationship that will last. Atlas asked Lily in a note that he wrote her if she would move in with him. He told her “Come home Lily. Come home.” (Hoover 302). This had to feel good for lily with all that she has been through.

I think that this book is serving as a window for me because it helps me see into the lives that other people around me could easily be living. When Fabiola goes to Kasim's house she realizes that "his house is bigger than Matant Jo's. His block is nicer too, with lots of big houses and even bigger driveways for the nicer cars" (Zoboi 279). I have never really thought of many people's homes like this.

I think that Fabiola is realizing how different life in America is compared to life in Haiti. She says that “here there isn’t even a slice of happiness big enough to fill up all these empty houses, and broken buildings…every joyous moment is swallowed up by…sadness” (Zoboi 247). Everyone imagines America to be this perfect, happy place but Fabiola realizes that is not the reality.

Fabiola has fallen into a distinct group with her cousins although she doesn't fully feel like she belongs. She says, "My mother is the one who will make my life complete here" (Zoboi 227). Fabiola imagined her life in America with her mother and until that really happens, she will never feel like she truly belongs. At the end of the day, she is different than her cousins and has different values.

When Q was at their house, Fabiola realizes, “My cousins. My cousins sold drugs. My cousins sold the drugs that killed the white girl. Madison” (Zoboi 205). The death of this girl is the one that the detective is investigating so she can get her mother back. I wonder if Fabiola will call her cousins out for this knowing she can get her mother back with this information.

I really feel for Fabiola and how she is adjusting to her new home because it must be really hard. Not having her mom makes the transition even harder. You can really tell that she is missing home because she says that she “misses rice and beans. [She misses] spicy stewed chicken and red snapper seasoned to the bone” (Zoboi 192). It’s little comments like these that make her feelings more clear.

I think that adversity impacts the way others see us because when someone knows what you have been through, it can change their opinion of you. I think this has happened to Fabiola a lot because when they hear that she is from Haiti, it changes the way they treat her. When Dray saw her at his house he goes, "Ayo, what are you doing her Fabulous?" (Zoboi 153). Its as if she isn't normal and cant be in certain places.

Now that Fabiola is starting to build a relationship with Kasim, I think it has helped her feel more at home in Detroid without her mom. He helps her see the beauty in things and "when [they] drove back to American Street, all the lights [looked] brighter, maybe there were even more stars in the sky, and [the] city was more beautiful than it had ever been" (Zoboi 146).

This book is helping me learn about the lives of others through a window. It has given me a look into what it would be like to immigrate to the US because that isn't something that I will understand. I think it is easy for us to take like for granted but Fabiola knows that "so many people back in Haiti, so many families who would kiss the ground and thank Jesus for a street like this, especially one named American" (

I think that the way Hoover has developed the character of Atlas through this book is very empowering. It sets a good example for a lot of people throughout life and I think it’s very important. When Ryle showed up at Atlas’s work he punched Atlas out of his anger but Atlas told him that he “has no desire to fight” when really Atlas has so many more reasons to fight Ryle vs the reasons Ryle has to fight him.

block day-In my article I learned about immigrants in the US. The US has more immigrants than any other country and 40 million people that live in the US were born in another country. In this situation, Fabiola is one of these people. It is hard for someone to come into a new country and culture and this has been hard for Fabiola. She "has not slept since being in this new home" (79) and she doesn't feel comforted.