American History Summary

This short story is told from the perspective of a ninth grade girl who lives in Paterson, New Jersey. Her family is Puerto Rican, and they live in a tall building that houses other families like hers who are saving money to buy their own home someday. In the meantime, the salsa music blasts from their windows along with the aromas of their spicy dishes.

The girl hates living in the city where the snow is grey and the other girls make fun of her skinny legs. She finds hope when a boy named Eugene moves into a house in the neighborhood. Eugene is a shy boy from Georgia with Southern manners and an accent that the other kids make fun of. Eugene and the girl become friends, perhaps because neither of them belongs in this place. Their friendship grows, and...