| Ever since an article about me ran in the UCLA paper, I've
become the poster child for the American Dream: East L.A. bad girl who
slashed cop makes good! I go to school full time, work in the food court,
and volunteer at a center for at-risk teens. Against all odds, I turned my life
around. The thing is, I never asked for all this attention. Now my professor
wants me to write a gigantic thesis about what Americanization means to Mexican
immigrants…and I'm not even sure yet what it means to me. Like for
example… Does familia always come first? I love my family.
But I had to get out when my drug dealing brother threatened my life, and
my parents took his side over mine.
Can't I have my own Declaration of Independence? I don't want to be
anyone's charity case. So why do my friends get annoyed when I won't let them
help?
Can West Side Story ever have a happy ending? Things with Will,
the guy who wrote the article about me, are getting serious—and it's freaking me
out. How are his rich parents going to feel when they find out he's in love with
a chica like me?
I've got a lot of people looking out for me, but I need to find success on
my own terms. Who knew it would be so hard for a Mexicana to find her place
in this Americana world?
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