| Sixteen year old Romiette "Romi" Cappelle is an African American teenager living in Cincinatti, Ohio. Plagued by constant dreams of drowning, Romi searches for an understanding of her fear of water and her recurring nightmares. Sixteen year old Julio Montague is a Mexican teenager who has just moved to Cincinnati. Julio hates the cold weather in Ohio and wishes he could move back home to his grandfather's ranch. Julio knows its impossible since his parents moved from Texas due to the heavy gang presence in its schools. When Julio meets Romi on line in a teen chat room and they discover that they attend the same high school, they forge an instant connection. Romi can't believe that Julio is so good looking, charming and sensitive. Julio has never known another girl like Romi - beautiful, smart and caring. Although neither Romi nor Julio sees their different races as a problem, other people begin to object to their budding romance. Julio's father tells him straight out that he will never approve of his son dating a black girl. And then there are the Devildogs, an African American gang at school who wear all purple and make it glaringly obvious to Romi and Julio that they don't like the races mixing. When Romi and Julio stand up to the gang members and turn the tables on them, the gang members threaten to get even. The danger escalates when the gang begins stalking the couple and making overt threats with guns. Julio and Romi are terrified by the threats of violence. When Romi, Julio and their best friends Ben and Destiny forge a plan to break away from the gang's grip, Romi and Julio find themselves caught up in a deadly situation. | ||
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Plot & Themes Time/era of story Forbidden/mismatched love? Yes How mismatched? Who: - momma If one lover chases another... - they alternate Main Male Character Profession/status: Age/status: - a teen If he's not white he must be... - hispanic Unusual characteristics? Main Female Character Age/status: - a teen Profession/status: If she's not white she must be... - black Unusual characteristics: Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment What % of story is romance related? - 90% How explicit is the sex? - descript of kissing Focus of story - equally on him and her How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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