The "I" Illegal

The protagonist, Ana Juárez, reflects on her life as a student in elementary, high school, and college. Her life "has been unjust, embittered, full of ignorance and disappointment, but not without hope" Ana was eager to attend kindergarten, and by f... Read more

The protagonist, Ana Juárez, reflects on her life as a student in elementary, high school, and college. Her life "has been unjust, embittered, full of ignorance and disappointment, but not without hope" Ana was eager to attend kindergarten, and by fourth grade she is an achiever with a competitive attitude. She is ready for academic combat in the middle grades, but is compromised by the teachers' methodology of cooperative learning. Her home is an adequate, but not a rich setting in which she receives love and motivation; however she perceives that her younger brother, Roberto, is the favorite sibling, but she, the older, is the smarter. Valedictorian, Ana, is admitted to the Metropolitan College Preparatory High School. "You'd make a wonderful nurse," her mother says. "Why not a doctor?" she thinks. Ana is supported by her friends Karla, Mary, Ricardo, Clarence, Julia and Josh, who help "fight her battles." Unexpected mentors appear as she passionately strives to make decisions regarding college and her future. Less