In this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling set during the civil rights era, a Mexican American girl is driven to join a movement for justice after her white classmate and best friend from the barrio are tragically murdered.
Rosa Capistrano has been attending posh North Phoenix High School to boost her chances of a college education and a career in journalism, thanks to the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education verdict for desegregation. But though she’s legally allowed to be there, it’s still unsafe for Mexican Americans. That’s why she’s secretly passing as Rosie, a white girl. All she has to do to secure her future is make sure her Mexican home life and her white school experience never intersect.
However, Rosa’s two worlds collide when her best friend Ramon and classmate Julianne meet and find themselves entangled in a star-crossed romance. Rosa is terrified about what their relationship could mean for her and them . . . and her worst fears are soon realized in an unspeakable tragedy. Rosa is thrown into the center of a town-wide scandal and her true identity is put in the spotlight. With the help of Marco, Ramon's brooding and volatile brother whose passion ignites hers, Rosa must choose what is more important to her—protecting her fragile future, or risking everything to help her friends find justice.
Rosa by Any Other Name is a harrowingly beautiful coming-of-age tale that shines a light on an important and often overlooked facet of US history.
"What’s in a name? For Mexican American teen Rosa Capistrano, it’s everything— college, opportunity, her future. In Rosa by Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz, it’s staying at her school as 'Rosie,' where she has a chance of achieving the life she wants, one that will make her and her family’s sacrifice worth it. But when one of her classmates falls in love with her best friend, Rosa’s delicate balance of separating school from her barrio is upended. Against the backdrop of civil rights demonstrations and school desegregation, Alcaraz deftly explores identity and the pressure to assimilate in this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling. The characters are full-bodied and familiar. The prose is captivating and honest as it confronts racism, discrimination and the real fears that can be met when revealing your true self. Brave and determined, Rosa is a chameleon, cautiously blending into the background—until she can’t. Rosa by Any Other Name is a smart, engaging call-to-action complete with star-crossed lovers, tragedy, and hope where “separate is not equal” and one voice in the crowd can make a difference." —Krystal Marquis, New York Times bestselling author of The Davenports
"Alcaraz’ characters jump off the page in this achingly resonant and romantic story about those who fight through fear to tell the truths too-often erased from history.” —Shannon C.F. Rogers, author of I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom and Eighteen Roses
"A vivid snapshot of Phoenix in the '50s, this moving novel of star-crossed lovers feels incredibly timely and raises important questions of what we’re willing to give up—for an education, for a future, for love." —Susan Kaplan Carlton, author of In the Neighborhood of True
