Emako Blue is the titular character of the text. An immensely talented musician, Emako has dreams for her life that are not limited by her circumstances: “I’ll move my mama away from all this madness and buy her a house with a pool in Malibu that looks out over the ocean, send my little brother and sister to private school in a limo” (22). Emako understands the reality of her current life: the threat of violence posed by her brother, Dante’s, gang involvement, and the poverty of her community that lacks necessary resources, but she remains certain that she will rise above and bring her family with her.

Emako was forced to grow up early, as she helps support her family with her job at Burger King and looks after her younger siblings while her mother works. Even when a record executive approaches her at her holiday concert, Emako turns down the offer of a recording contract until she graduates high school: “I wanna be a good example for my little brother and sister. It’s a responsibility thing, you know?” (68). Emako is a character that positively influences those around her, which makes her untimely death all the more tragic.