How does Emoni describe her neighborhood in the novel, With the Fire on High?

Although it is a rough neighborhood with "row houses, fenced-in yards, and vacant lots", Emoni describes Fairhill as a place of culture and community (85). Emoni notes that it is a place of contrasts, as it is described in the chapter "A Tale of Two Cities." Despite its reputation as Badlands, there is a lot of good in it too. It provides support to its residents, and Emoni gets assistance from it when she becomes pregnant. It has a high population of Puerto Rican residents, and this gives Emoni a sense of home and heritage. There exists the threat of gentrification, and Emoni hopes the idea that it is dangerous will keep out affluent whites who will interfere with her neighborhood's local flavor. Despite its challenges, Emoni "couldn't have imagined being raised anyplace else" (87). Fairhill becomes representative of home, a sense of place that carries with it a sense of identity. Fairhill becomes a querencia, or special feeling an individual gets from a sense of comfort and belonging.