Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses miscarriage, sexual assault (of characters who are minors), forced adoption, and racism.

“The stress of it all was getting the best of me. I was desperate to get to my classes, determined to earn my scholarship, so that I could stop depending on Inez’s creepy boyfriends to keep a roof over our heads.”

This quote introduces Ruby’s goal: She wants to lift herself out of poverty by earning a scholarship and going to college. For now, she is held back by her family’s poverty and dependence on men. This drive leads to her getting kicked out of her mother Inez’s house, and she soon goes to live with her Aunt Marie.

“There are no second chances when it comes to us. If you want to escape your current circumstances, you have to work like your tail is on fire.”

With this advice, Mrs. Thomas explains the stakes of Ruby’s scholarship. Second chances and what people do with them are explored throughout the novel. The stakes are different for the wealthy and the poor, for white people and Black people. As a poorer Black girl, Ruby has few options, and losing her scholarship would likely confine her to a life of poverty.

“I was forced to learn his history, but he knew nothing of mine.”

Ruby comes to this realization when she talks to Shimmy about wanting to become a doctor. As a Black girl, Ruby is aware of the discrepancies between how Black people and white people are treated. Shimmy, as a white boy, has the luxury of not noticing these discrepancies because he never had to.