Identity and crisis
Since Sabina is torn about her identity, she lives her life in a state of crisis. This crisis mentality is not healthy for long periods of time, although sometimes it is necessary for short-term problems. When Sabina figures out that she is anorexic, she realizes that her mental health has been a constant weight over her, keeping her trapped in feelings of worthlessness and disgust with herself. She struggles to understand her personality in a social context because most people in her community are obviously white or obviously not white, but she is mixed, and she feels ostracized.
Being "American"
Eventually, Sabina's life is changed radically by the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 (alongside the entire nation, no doubt). This is a thematic moment because it signals that, even though Sabina struggles to feel American, she is definitely American. She lives near Ground Zero, so how could she be a foreigner? She feels foreign because she has a mistaken idea about what it means to be American. For some reason, she was left with the impression that people only consider someone truly American if they are white.
Diversity and value
Now, Sabina has two problems that she thinks are just one problem. Sabina's problems are that she is not integrated into her community and that she is confused about her identity as a person of mixed ethnic heritage. The book is obviously calling for diversity. Not only should everyone feel ethnically welcome in America, but we should also communicate that value more openly and loudly, so other children don't accidentally end up with a wrong sense of what makes them valuable. A person's worth is not the product of that person's race.
Love and Romantic Relationships
Sabina throughout the novel has many different relationships. While they are all with different men one thing they all have in common is they don't work out. This is a reflection of real life, in which a happy ending romantically is not always achieved. Sabina does have a habit of self-sabotaging relationships or not admitting feelings to herself and her partners. This leads to many heartbreaks and losing friendships between these men as a result. While Sabina mentions that she loved Lucho, she never really mentions being totally "in love" with the other men. But also notable in real life how every person is loved differently.
