Jaquira Diaz has been through so much that it makes you question, how did she get through it? Yes, she does get through everything, but she had a bunch of bumps in the road. Her grandmother that she loved so dearly, passed away, she got married at 18, then got divorced. Jaquira tried to get her GED but failed, she also joined the army and because everything in her life was going bad, she then drunk, smoked and did drugs a lot. She also got back together with her ex husband whom she moved into a townhouse with. “I couldn’t really see any future at all…a high school dropout with a GED…All I’d done over the past year was drink and smoke and snort coke. I’d done more drugs than homework.” (Diaz 211) After reading all of that, can you really blame Jaquira? Her life at that point was an unpredictable rollercoaster. She has dealt with so many issues and situations that have scarred her and when she hit rock bottom, she relied on the power and benefit of drugs and alcohol, which only makes things worse. This goes to show that Jaquira Diaz is one tough cookie, and nobody’s life is perfect and everyone deals with personal issues differently.
I liked they way you summarized Jaquiras life, and I felt terrible when I read about her grandmother dying because his grandmother was the only person who loved her, cared for her. Jaquira was a spoiled girl even before her grandma died and she getting divorced, she used to skip school, drink, smoke. And I also agree everyone is going through something in their life which is why I always smile and respect everyone I see.