Book II Round 5-9 Image

This is a picture of a fire burning down a building and it represents Round 6 in Book II when the apartment complex that Bodega owns burned down and Chino and Blanca had to sleep at her mother's house.

These boxes represent Round 7 when the church community came together and help Chino and Blanca move houses since she was having a baby soon.

This image represents Round 9 when two police officers came to question Chino and took him down to the station to try to crack him about the dead news reporter.

Book II rounds 10-end summary

Round 10 starts off when Blanca, Chino's wife leaves him because he didn't entirely tell her the truth. In round 11, Vidal, Veronica's husband, comes to Harlem because she called him crying, Bodega wanted Veronica to tell Vidal that she never loved him and that she always loved Bodega. After a few verbal fights, Vera shoots Vidal and he dies. Bodega told her not to worry and that he would go to jail for her and take the blame. The next day, Bodega was shot by Nazario because it was all a set up so that Vera and him would be together while she had her dead husband's money and he had Bodega's power. In the end, Nazario and Vera would have gotten away with everything if Chino hadn't turned them into the police.

Discussion Questions book II rounds 10-end

How do you think Nazario and Veronica fall in love?

Why didn't Nazario stay with Veronica before Bodega came along?

How did they keep in touch and come up with a plan to get rid of everyone?

Did this remind you of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Vocab/ Pictures Book II, Rounds 10-12 and Book III

Vocabulary
     Piragua (p.185)- a Puerto Rican desert in the shape of a pyrimid; made of shaved ice and fruit syrup
     "Cut your losses" (p.197)- to stop something that is failing to prevent further damage
    
The Streets of Spanish Harlemduring an average day.
A R.I.P like the ones that Julio used to make as a teenager. Sapo refers to these paintings on page 205 after Bodega's death.

 These people represent the ma and his grandson that came over during the end of Book III to start a new life in America. They represent the spirit of a community that will not die and will to continue to strive towards success.

Research Book II, Rounds 5-9

Research on Spanish Harlem
     -section of Harlem northeast of Manhattan in New York
     -most of population is made of Puerto Ricans, but rising # of Dominicans and Mexicans
     -Highest crime rate in Manhattan
     -includes area that used to be known as italian Harlem
          -from the late 1800's to early 1900's, the population was mostly made of Itallians
          -many crime organizations were located in this region from the Black Hand to the Itallian Mafia
          -most Itallians left the are by the 1970's, but most of the remaing itallian population live around
            Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
     -famous for its contribution to Salsa Music

Young Lords Organization
     -Puerto Rican gang in Chicago during the 1960's
     -involved in the 1966 Division Street Riots
     -later reorganized into a human rights organization
     -Geraldo Rivera was a lawyer who supported the Young Lords (similar to Nazario)
     -later spread to other areas such as California, New York, and Peurto Rico

Book II rounds 1-4 research

-the kids that attend Julia de Burgos Junior High relate to kids at every high school.

-during that time, there was a teacher that discourages the students and that is still common today.

-people push drugs and illegal items

-throughout history, there has always been thieves because they do not have the money and that crime is still occuring to this day.

-the men have always made the first move and try to win the girl over.

-there have always been a big difference between the upper and lower class.

Travel Tracing Book II, Rounds 1-4

                                                            Sequence of Events

-flash back to Sapo's incident with Mr. Tapia  p. 86- 92
-Blanca questions Julio about Sapo  p. 94
-Nazario pick up Julio the day that Vera arrives  P. 97
-Explains the backstory to how Bodega met Nazario  P. 101
-Julio meets Bodega in the salsa museum  P. 104
-After going home to change clothes, Julio and Bodega wal towards the school  P. 108
-Julio realizes that he has been set up by Bodega  P.112
-Julio finds out abot Aaron Fischman and the war between him and Bodega; makes Bodega promise to protect Sapo  P. 112
-Julioreunites Bodega and Vera  P. 120
- Vera gives Julio her wedding ring  P. 126

                                            Important Settings throughout the section

- Julio de Burgos School (school that Julio, Sapo, and Blanca went to)
     -where the event with Tapia happened
-The Salsa Museum
     -where Bodega informs Julio ablout his plan to fund the education of students from Spanish Harlem
-The Elementary School that Vero went to
     -where Julio realizes he had been set up
     -where they meet up with Vera

Book 1 Disscusion questions

1.What are your first impressions of Chino during the first chapter and how does it change through out the other chapters?
2.What is Willie Bodega's plan to take control of the community?do you thin it will succeed? Does he really care about the community or does he only care about himself?
3.Why is Chino so indesisive about working with Bodega and why does he decide to change his mind about his decision?
4.What is the relationship between Blanca's aunt Vero and Bodega. How do you think that it will affect the plot of the story?

Travel Tracing

-Sapo is introduced (pg. 3)
-Julio and Blanca gets married (pg. 13)
-Chino hears about Willie Bodega (pg. 19)
-Chino and Sapo gets into an argument (pg. 42)
-Chino decides to help Willi Bodega (pg. 54)
-Chino goes to Negra's house to ask for her help to contact Vera and sees that she stabbed her husband, Victor (pg. 56)
-Chino and Blanca moves into an apartment from Willie Bodega in return for helping him (pg. 81)