Bodega Dreams

by

Ernesto Quiñones

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Bodega Dreams makes teaching easy.
Alberto Salazar is an undercover journalist who is killed early in the story, before he can expose Bodega’s criminal activities. Much of the book’s plot revolves around the aftermath of Salazar’s murder. Julio thinks that Sapo killed Salazar because Salazar’s body is found with a large bite mark, and Sapo is known to bite people when he fights. Quiñonez uses Salazar’s bite mark to pivot into Julio and Sapo’s childhoods—where he exposes the oppression that they experienced in school at the hands of white teachers like Mr. Blessington. Ultimately, it turns out that Sapo isn’t the murderer. After Bodega dies, Nazario convinces the police that Bodega killed Salazar in order to protect the other people involved.

Alberto Salazar Quotes in Bodega Dreams

The Bodega Dreams quotes below are all either spoken by Alberto Salazar or refer to Alberto Salazar . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Latinx Immigrants and Broken Dreams Theme Icon
).
Book 2, Round 2 Quotes

If Sapo killed that reporter then he deserved to go to jail. I thought that, but I knew I didn’t mean it. I felt bad for Sapo. I also knew I would never rat out Sapo or Bodega. I wasn’t going to say a word.

Related Characters: Julio Mercado (speaker), Willie Bodega , Sapo, Alberto Salazar
Related Symbols: Drugs
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Round 9 Quotes

The captain talked as if he were bored; it was all a formality, something he had done too many times and could do in his sleep.

Related Characters: Julio Mercado (speaker), Sapo, Alberto Salazar , DeJesus , Ortiz , Captain Leary
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
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Alberto Salazar Quotes in Bodega Dreams

The Bodega Dreams quotes below are all either spoken by Alberto Salazar or refer to Alberto Salazar . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Latinx Immigrants and Broken Dreams Theme Icon
).
Book 2, Round 2 Quotes

If Sapo killed that reporter then he deserved to go to jail. I thought that, but I knew I didn’t mean it. I felt bad for Sapo. I also knew I would never rat out Sapo or Bodega. I wasn’t going to say a word.

Related Characters: Julio Mercado (speaker), Willie Bodega , Sapo, Alberto Salazar
Related Symbols: Drugs
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Round 9 Quotes

The captain talked as if he were bored; it was all a formality, something he had done too many times and could do in his sleep.

Related Characters: Julio Mercado (speaker), Sapo, Alberto Salazar , DeJesus , Ortiz , Captain Leary
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis: