82 pages • 2 hours read
Alexandra DiazA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
“Para mi familia, and for all of those for whom leaving their home was, or is, the only choice.”
The author uses the Dedication to signal her support for immigrants like Jaime and Ángela. Her own family emigrated from Cuba, and while The Only Road is a novel, Diaz has partly written it to humanize the immigrant experience and help readers understand how what may seem like a choice may be no choice at all.
“I don’t want to die. But I don’t want to kill people either. What can I do?”
After Miguel’s death, Jaime realizes that the Alphas will kill him if he does not join their gang; joining them will mean he becomes a killer too. This impossible decision is what motivates Jaime to undertake the journey north. While that journey also holds the possibility of death, it also offers a chance at life.
“Tomorrow, at the burial, there’d be grieving. Tonight, however, was the time to celebrate Miguel’s life.”
Diaz gives a glimpse into Guatemalan funeral customs, which may be unfamiliar to readers. An important element of acknowledging a death is celebrating that person’s life, which can help ease the pain of that death. This is especially important in a young adult novel, as it helps the reader cope with the traumatic events of the story.
Action & Adventure
View Collection
Books About Art
View Collection
Books About Race in America
View Collection
Cuban Literature
View Collection
Diverse Voices (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Hispanic & Latinx American Literature
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (Middle Grade)
View Collection
Spanish Literature
View Collection
The Journey
View Collection