65 pages • 2 hours read
Ibi ZoboiA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
“Half a Moon” by Renée Watson
“Black Enough” by Varian Johnson
“Warning: Color May Fade” by Leah Henderson
“Black. Nerd. Problems.” by Lamar Giles
“Out of the Silence” by Kekla Magoon
“The Ingredients” by Jason Reynolds
“Oreo” by Brandy Colbert
“Samson and the Delilahs” by Tochi Onyebuchi
“Stop Playing” by Liara Tamani
“Wild Horses, Wild Hearts” by Jay Coles
“Whoa!” by Rita Williams-Garcia
“Gravity” by Tracey Baptiste
“The Trouble With Drowning” by Dhonielle Clayton
“Kissing Sarah Smart” by Justina Ireland
“Hackathon Summers” by Coe Booth
“Into the Starlight” by Nic Stone
“The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones” by Ibi Zoboi
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Content Warning: The stories in this collection explore issues of racism, anti-gay bias, sexual assault, mental health, and suicide.
Raven is a 17-year-old girl living in Portland. Each summer, she attends a summer camp for girls of color in the Portland area, first as a camper and now as a counselor. Raven’s father left her and her mother when she was seven.
The first day of camp, she sees her father’s daughter, Brooke, that he had 10 years ago when Raven’s parents split up. Raven notes that she is one of the only girls there capable of paying full tuition. As Brooke waves to Raven, Raven ignores her.
Over the next few days, Raven witnesses Brooke being bullied, first at lunch, then at the school’s talent competition. Raven contemplates intervening—considering how she should both as a counselor and to be a good person—but instead hesitates, allowing other counselors to do so instead.
The last night of camp, the counselors tell the campers a ghost story about a monster in the woods. When Brooke tells another camper, Mercy, how she is not afraid, Mercy tells her she should be since her weight won’t allow her to outrun the monster, as the girls laugh and make fun of her.
By Ibi Zoboi