~Xavier Mercado, Class of 2024

Identities to be found

We know what we are, but not what we may be.

~William Shakespeare

Identity distinguishes one’s being from the infinite possibilities of existence. American Street, a novel by Ibi Zoboi captivated me to dive into the perspective of the main character, making me feel every emotion that was meant to compel the soul. Reading American Street touched my soul as Zoboi hammered down each character’s personality, especially the main character, as she struggled to find her place as an immigrant. By the end of the story, it made me realize what my role is in the community around me.

In American Street, Fabiola, the main character, is left stuck in Detroit with her aunt and cousins, after her mother gets detained in New York during the immigration process from her home country of Haiti. Fabiola then has to cope with adjusting to a completely different life in America, along with adjusting to the part of her family that she rarely contacts with. Roped into the hardships of ghetto Detroit and pressures from her family, she struggles to assert her identity as she also attempts to bring justice for her mother, who is still detained. Fabiola finds a true love that can help soothe her mind of all the hecticness and the bullying, however juggling a relationship in her situation isn’t easy as it seems. She soon finds out that her family’s source of income is through drug-dealing, and she struggles to swallow the truth as she finds out her family’s deeper lore in Detroit. Her boyfriend eventually gets shot dead at a party, which is a major emotional point in the book, but quickly shifts as Fabiola is finally able to get a hold of her mother as she is finally released from detainment.

American Street gave me a taste of everything emotional. Heartbreak, desire, excitement, fear, the list goes on. Everybody can pull out a relatable part from the book, as it is Fabiola who is struggling and attempting to fit into a new society, something that the majority of people have had to do at one point in their life or another. As I move schools next year, I will have to go through that process to see where I fit in, where my strengths are, and what other people around me are engaging in. Before American Street, I had never put any thought into what immigrants go through once they have crossed borders, let alone what they do if not everyone makes it through as expected. This shifts my view of the immigrant crisis globally, and how each individual’s story may be similar or different. 

Reading American Street was more than a supplementary book to our Capstone project. It serves as a gateway to viewing the world from a different perspective. Finding your identity and your place in time, as well as navigating your current highs and lows in life are what this book is all about. American Street makes the real even realer.