San Jose

San Jose is Jessica’s family’s former home, remembered chiefly as the place where she was the most popular girl in her sixth-grade class. Its importance is less a portrait of the city than a measure of the social change that followed her family’s move to Santa Rosa.

Former Home

Jessica’s family moved from San Jose to Santa Rosa. The account gives no further description of San Jose, presenting it through the family’s departure and Jessica’s school experience there.

Jessica’s School Life

In sixth grade in San Jose, Jessica was the most popular girl in her class. This detail establishes a secure social position before the move, rather than suggesting that she had always struggled to find a place among peers.

Contrast with Santa Rosa

After the move, Jessica had difficulty gravitating toward a group of friends. The contrast makes San Jose a point of reference for the change in her circumstances: the popularity she had known there gave way in Santa Rosa to an uneasy negotiation among different circles of girls.