Super Short Summary

Drawing on William Shakespeare’s iconic play Romeo and Juliet, the tragedy of two star-crossed lovers trying to love in a world of hate, Sharon M. Draper’s Romiette and Julio (1999) tells the story of two Cincinnati high school students whose interracial relationship (as 16-year-old Romiette “Romi” Cappelle is Black and 16-year-old Julio Montague is Hispanic) raises the ire of the gang that rules their school. In addition to examining gangs in inner-city high schools and the toxic logic of racism, the novel celebrates the power of young love and friendship.