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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
Several short stories in the collection explore the teenage struggle to follow the expectations placed on them by society while also remaining true to their authentic selves.
One conflict faced by characters in the collection is their struggle with their sexuality and how their families will react should they embrace that queer identity. In the story “Kissing Sarah Smart,” Devon has always battled with her queer identity after being discovered kissing a classmate, Leslie. Although they did so under the guise of “practicing” kissing, Devon admits that Leslie was her first crush. However, after a teacher discovers them kissing, her dad reacts with anger. Devon notes that she “never forgot the way his eyes bulged as he yelled ‘GAYS,’” and as a result she “never kissed another girl until [her] friend Amy’s drunken advances” several years later (296). Until meeting Sarah, Devon never had a real relationship with a woman, and even during this relationship she hides it from her mother and grandmother. Kissing Sarah makes her “feel like someone’s turned a light on inside of [her], like [she] was a vacant house and a family has finally moved in” (304). This metaphor—comparing her feelings with Sarah to a finally-occupied house—conveys the idea that being herself and being able to love Sarah makes Devon feel as though there is finally life inside of her that is even bigger than happiness.
By Ibi Zoboi