The novel is told in first person by the narrator Jeannette who talks about her life experiences. Jeannette recalls memories that happened when she was a child and describes her life in poverty. She overcomes personal problems to succeed in life and proves that if she can do it, then anyone can do it. Jeannette makes this novel ambiguous because she makes poverty seem like it’s nothing. She does this to show the reader that not everything will go your way but you have to make the best out of every situation. Life is hard and things happen but you will overcome life’s obstacles if you really set your mind to it. These are the new words I learned while reading this novel: shimmery: glistening tremulously; epitomizes: be a perfect example of; reiterates: say something again or a number of times; perplex: complicate or confuse; reluctant: unwilling and hesitant; tentatively: in a tentative manner; invariably: in every case or on every occasion; snide: derogatory or mocking in an indirect way; rendition: a performance or interpretation; retrospective: an art exhibit showing an entire artistic phrase or representative examples of an artist’s lifework. I think the theme of the novel is to never lose your hope and never give up no matter what. This was a very universal theme which makes it so