Juliet Takes a Breath

Juliet is the protagonist and narrator of Juliet Takes a Breath. At 19 years old, she is discovering more about what makes her confident and how to love herself as a gay Latina. She is naturally anxious and struggles to breath when she is nervous or overwhelmed, a condition that her asthma exacerbates. Throughout the novel, Juliet works on her self-love and realizing how special she is. Coming out as gay to her entire family before she leaves for her internship with feminist author Harlowe Brisbane is only the beginning of her journey towards self-love. Even without the absolute support from her family, Juliet sticks to who she is and flies to Portland, Oregon, “off into the unknown, alone and feeling so raw” (38).

While in Portland, Juliet’s confidence goes up and down constantly. She went to Portland seeking acceptance and a better understanding of herself, but she finds, through characters like Phen and Harlowe, that her identity is called into question, similar to the way fellow Puerto Ricans identified her as a white girl. Juliet learns from these struggles that she cannot internalize Harlowe’s version of feminism, and she must create an identity and set of values and beliefs for herself.