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
Lena, who has a twin sister Madeleine, comes often to sit under the bridge connecting Washington, DC, to Virginia and look out at the water. Three bodies have been pulled from the river this summer, and she thinks of them and her own fear of drowning. Often, after leaving, she goes to Adams Morgan and smiles at strangers so they will buy her cigarettes, which she does not smoke but lights because they remind her of Madeleine.
Lena reflects on how different she and Madeleine are. While Lena does everything she can to make her mother happy, Madeleine often acts out, dressing and doing her hair in ways that upset her mother. As they lie on the floor of Madeleine’s loft, Lena notices the burn marks on Madeleine’s thighs where she puts out her cigarettes, as well as fresh cuts along her wrists.
At dinner, their family eats in silence until their mom brings up the cotillion rehearsal, a ball for the wealthy families of the area for their daughters and sons to dress up and be “shown off.” Lena is adamant that she does not want to go, but her mother insists she go with James, Madeleine’s boyfriend.
By Ibi Zoboi