Iveliz Explains It All

Content Warning: This section discusses self-harm and suicidal ideation.

“This is seventh grade now, 

and I don’t need anyone’s help but my own. 

I’ve moved on from everything.”

Iveliz is often a misleading narrator. She claims she doesn’t need help from other people, but to confront her PTSD and depression, she needs support. Thus, the quote is a red herring. It spotlights the advantages of the book design. “Everything” is in bold because the book is Iveliz’s journal, and in a journal, she can make words bold. This quote highlights The Complexities of Mental Health Conditions.

“And there’s no one I’d rather go to Costco with, 

fight over a bag of popcorn with, double over laughing at his pranks with 

than my funny 

life of the party 

prankster of a 

dad.”

Iveliz writes about her father in the present, making it seem like he’s still alive. She also showcases his gregarious characterization. The line breaks highlight his centrality, and this depiction demonstrates the opposite ways she views Dad and Mami at the beginning of the book. He has the last line all to himself because he’s Dad—her only father.

“Laughed and asked if that’s how Gen Z wrote poetry, 

all random thoughts and no rhyme.”

Dad’s description of Iveliz’s poetry reflects the narrative structure. Iveliz tells her story through her stream-of-conscience poems. Her concern is documenting her raw feelings, not rhyming or following a set of traditional poetry rules. The journal is her space for unfiltered, formless thoughts.