American Street By Ibi Zoboi Fabiola

In the book American Street by Ibi Zoboi Fabiola is a teenage immigrant who comes to America from Haiti and has to adjust to a new lifestyle. At the gate on her way to America she gets separated from her mother and has to learn a new culture on her own. Her cousins Chantal, Pri, and Donna are not very welcoming and barely realize she is there. Once she starts school a detective finds Fabiola and asks her to help investigate Dray, Donna’s boyfriend because they believe he deals drugs. Fabiola agrees and starts going to parties trying to figure out where he will be selling next because if they catch him Fabiola’s mother will be released from the jail. During the parties Fabiola meets her soon to be boyfriend Kasim and they get along very well

She makes the decision to go along with the mission because the detective said if she helps then her mother will be released and get her green card. This shows Fabiola’s first signs of confidence because she had her priorities in order. “First my mother then everything else” (Zoboi 163). This shows her determination to find her mother and the fact that she doesn’t give up easily. Fabiola was also able to commit to making a decision without her cousins knowing about it and she trusted herself to make the correct decision, unlike when she first arrived and didn’t know what anything

This frustrates Fabiola and without hesitation she realizes that she is strong enough to stand up for herself which makes her presence in the school and world itself much bigger than before. “i tighten my body. I won’t be the first one to back down. I am like a rock now” (Zoboi 197). This proves that Fabiola has become stronger because she is able to stand up for herself using her own power without anyone giving her advice or intervening into the argument to protect her. She was able to find the strength within her to fight a battle that was important to her. This is when Fabiola and her family members are able to realize she has become