Chapter 7 opens on the commotion surrounding election year, as different political candidates paint their “colors of power” (94) everywhere around the country. In the center of the political disruption is the announcement that the government is going to buy out all of the land in the village to develop it for profit. Though Ana Rosa doesn’t understand all of the conflict, she thinks about how everyone in the village has always lived there for generations, she and listens as her family and community members discuss the options ahead.

Ana Rosa quickly forgets about the government and focuses on her upcoming 13th birthday, on which she is going to get “a special surprise” (100). Since Ana Rosa has never gotten a real birthday present, only lovingly made homemade items and experiences, she is especially excited about this birthday and spends time reflecting on her year as a 12 year old. Of significant interest to Ana Rosa is how she can “help Guario to find his future” (101). Guario is named for a Taíno chief, Guarocuya, and Ana Rosa believes that her brother should live up to the namesake.

As the conflict about the government begins to interrupt Ana Rosa’s serious journaling, the townspeople become “a village of rebels fighting to keep our homes” with Guario as a natural leader (105).