Janisse Ray describes the Georgia landscape where she grew up. Ray’s family lives in the midst of south Georgia’s pine forests, which she describes as being characterized by its “flatness” and “wide[ness]” (3). Ray emphasizes that her family has lived on this land for generations: “I was born from people who were born from people who were born from people who were born here” (4). Ray then describes visiting her grandmother’s grave on the side of a clay hill. 

Ray grows up on a junkyard on the outskirts of Baxley, Georgia. Baxley is a small, rural town, with a population of 3,500 people. Though larger cities (Savannah, Jacksonville) are located several hours away, Ray never visits these cities, and they remain “foreign” to her. Ray is told by her parents that they discovered her crying underneath a “clump of palmettos” (6) in the forest by the junkyard. Ray’s parents tell similar stories about Ray’s sister and two brothers.

Ray frequently wanders and explores the junkyard surrounding her family home. On these walks, Ray often hides from her mother (referred to as Mama), leading Mama to tie bells on Ray’s shoes and tell Ray that she’s “half wild” (8).