June and July, 1958 Summary and Analysis

One day in June, Carolina hears that there is a free movie shown by the health department tells them not to drink river water and to build bathrooms. When finding food is a daily struggle, it's hard to think about building bathrooms. She says the weak succumb to suicide as a way out of their hungry misery. Carolina says that she has written plays and taken them to the producers of circuses. One says that it's "a shame" she's black. She says she is proud of her heritage and that if she were reincarnated, she'd want to be black.

Medicine is primitive. The health department comes to the favela and Carolina wonders if they might be handing out medicine for the many children who are afflicted. She makes her sons go to school even though they seldom...