"Suddenly, a little after a year of our arrival, we found ourselves in a country that had been invaded — with a real potential for a war."

Episode 5: I Saw the Signs

In telling her story of immigration from Brazil to the United States at the age of 15, Bruna Massadas recreates an adolescent world overwhelmed by Americanized fantasies: the kind ruled by blond-haired, blue-eyed beauties; the kind filled with laugh tracks, dramatic closeups, and the inevitable happy ending. But she also depicts the actual America she soon encountered: high school halls crowded with immigrants and teenage hormones; nights plagued by typical worries over fashion and boyfriends, but complicated with anxieties over language and cultural assimilation.

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Episode 5: I Saw the Signs

Episode 5: I Saw the Signs