“I shook my head. 'I’d run, you know. It’s like when you’re really busy doing something and you don’t have time to think about things. Well, I’d run and run and run so I couldn’t think.'
'And when you’d finished running you’d be thousands of miles away from people who love you and your problem would still be there except you’d have nobody to help you,' he said with a shrug.”
In this quote Josie and Jacob discuss Josie’s hypothetical reaction if her mom were to pass away like Jacob’s mom. The difference in maturity between the couple is highlighted, as is how their different backgrounds have molded them. Josie says she would run away, whereas Jacob says running away would just leave her even more alone, separated from her friends and family. Josie, who has grown up with a loving if smothering family, takes for granted the love and support her family gives her. Jacob, whose family life is less full, seems to appreciate the importance of having the people who love you around for help.
“I hope I never have to live in a country where I can’t communicate with my neighbor.”
As a second-generation Australian, Josie’s life is full of her Nonna’s stories of Italy and moving across the world to Australia. Some of the toughest transitions for Nonna was assimilating to Australian culture, learning English, and changing her way of life. In this quote, Josie is reflecting on her grandmother’s experience, and hopes that she never knows what it feels like to not communicate with her neighbor. Here, Josie uses “communicate” both literally and metaphorically. She hopes she and her neighbors won’t have language barriers as high as her grandmother had when she first immigrated to Australia. She also hopes the cultural, social, and political differences between her and her neighbors will not make it impossible for them to communicate as well.
"You can’t hate what you’re part of. What you are. I resent it most of the time, curse it always, but it’ll be part of me till the day I die."
For the first half of the book, Josie struggles with her Italian heritage. Their ways seem antiquated and restricting. About halfway through the book however, as she begins growing up and maturing, Josie seems to come to terms with her Italian roots. She may still find things to curse about and resent, but she’s slowly beginning to appreciate her background. She recognizes that it’ll always be a part of her identity.
"I remembered the same time, last year, when Michael wasn't in my life. It was the scariest feeling in the world."
Josie says this about her father Michael, and shows that she has forgiven him for everything he's done in the past and that she now cares for him. The "scariest feeling in the world" that Josie refers to symbolizes growing up, and how much things have changed for her in the past year. Josie's acceptance of her father has been a major aspect of this change, and though she feels a sense of fulfillment that her father is now a vital part of her life, she is still amazed at how much of a whirlwind her senior year has been.
"When I got off the bus on Thursday afternoon Jacob was waiting for me. He had his sports clothes on and his hair tied back in a little ponytail. When I looked down at my long uniform, black stockings and black shoes, starched blazer and conservative tie, I wondered if we’d ever find a niche together."
In the beginning of Josie and Jacob’s relationship, part of Jacob’s appeal was his bad-boy persona and passionate personality. Though Josie is equally passionate, she’s far from a “bad girl,” and before long she begins to wonder if her and Jacob’s differences will ultimately drive them apart. This quote highlights their differences, symbolized by their clothes, and articulates Josie’s fears.
“Tell me, what comes first? What other people think of your family, or love?”
Christina tries to tell Josie that it doesn't matter what other people think; if you love your family, you shouldn't be ashamed of such a sentiment. She is saying that Josie shouldn't be so affected by other people's opinion because love should be more important. Throughout Josie's life, she has struggled with accepting her Italian culture and illegitimacy of her birth, leaving a strain on her relationship with her mother and Nonna. She's felt out of place at school for those reasons, and for being different than most of the other students there, as their families are all very wealthy and seemingly perfect. However, throughout her final year of high school, many events have allowed Josie to realize that her family is unique and special to her, and so is her culture.
“But I think I cried more out of relief than self-pity. Relief because I was beginning to feel free. From whom? Myself, I think.”
At its heart, Looking for Alibrandi is Josie’s coming-of-age story. Throughout the novel Josie grapples with pressure from her family, her friends, and her society, pressure she thinks stifles her and prevents her from being her truest self. At the moment of this quote, Josie begins to realize the thing really holding her back was her own self. Her preoccupation with the opinions and judgements of others, opinions and judgements that she may have blown up in her own head, is what she needed to break free from.
“A person doesn’t necessarily have to be happy just because they have social standing and material wealth, Josie.”
For Josie, who’s lived a modest but comfortable life with her single mom, someone like the affluent and popular John Barton committing suicide is incomprehensible. In this quote, her father Michael attempts to explain to Josie that money and popularity doesn’t always equate to happiness. John had demons that couldn’t be slayed by all the wealth and privilege in the world. As an adult, Michael understands this, and as Josie gains more maturity, she will come to understand it too.
“I remembered when we spoke about our emancipation. The horror is that he had to die to achieve his. The beauty is that I’m living to achieve mine.”
Josie shares that she has learned a lot from John and that he has helped her mature. They have discussed a common problem together, and they confided in each other about what they wanted to achieve. She realizes that everyone has problems, and that she has a lot to be grateful for. She feels that she's lucky to have time to still achieve what she wants in life.
“'Why, why, why?' I asked. 'I would have gone. Why don’t people do things they want to do? I’d never let anyone or anything stop me.'"
One of Josie’s signature traits is her indomitable spirit. When she hears of other people letting go of their dreams or curbing their actions because of other people and life’s pitfalls, she doesn’t understand. Her own forthright nature makes it hard to see how people sacrifice their own wants for others. This way of thinking displays Josie’s naivety and innocence of life’s pitfalls and setbacks. As her father suggests, she will most likely adjust her thinking when she’s lived a bit longer and experienced more of life’s hardships.
