Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (Pgs 1-72)

Summary:
The exposition of this book starts by describing a girl, Juliana, from the point of view of Sammy. This story is told in first person. The characters in this story live in a small New Mexico town called Hollywood where everything is different from the Hollywood we all know. This is a coming of age book in which Sammy, the main character, has to go through racism and has to deal with the fact that his mother is dead. He lives with his father, and his little sister Elena. Sammy is crazy in love for Juliana but not everyone accepts that because she is an independent girl who does whatever she wants. But what no one knows is that at home, her father hates her and she wishes he is dead. On the other hand, Sammy not only had to live with the fact that no one likes Juliana, but also with the racism towards the minorities that there was during this time period. But Sammy does not care about what people say about it, he knows that he loves her and nothing or no one is going to change that.

Quote:
"He didn't know her, my dad, didn't trust her. He thought she wasn't good enough for me. Nobody thought she was good enough" ( Saenz 18).

Reaction:
Nobody in Hollywood thought Juliana was a good girl. Sammy did not like this because they were judging her without knowing who she really is and why she does the things she does. But none of these comments or opinions about Juliana changes the way Sammy sees her, as an angel. Since this book is a bildungsroman, sooner or later Sammy will have to realize that people will always be saying stuff about other people without really knowing them. But that's life, and if Sammy really loves Juliana as he says he knows that these opinions does not matter because what matters is what he feels and the Juliana that he sees not the one others see.