Finding Ana Nelson

At 15, Ana hates everything about her life—her home, her parents, and especially school. The depressed teen teeters between multiple worlds, too Black for the Latin kids, too Hispanic for the Black kids. Ana is never quite sure where she fits in, but she is sure of one thing: She’ll do anything to be popular. After being asked out by the school’s celebrated quarterback, Ana decides to sneak out in her father’s SUV to meet up with the in-crowd at the hippest club in town. The night ends disastrously and the results are sure to haunt Ana for the rest of her life.  

The night’s tragic accident results in Ana being sent away to live with family friends in La Ceiba, Honduras, where she knows neither the language nor the customs. The experience of living in a new environment while grappling with growing pains intensify as she struggles to fit in with the two teenagers in her host family. But it’s classmate Julio—a Garifuna boy who embraces his African culture—who leads Ana to the history of her people. In the end, Ana finds out who she really is, but the cost to her and everyone around her maybe too high.