Towers Falling is told from Dèja’s perspective, and she serves as its main protagonist. In the story’s beginning, we quickly learn that Dèja and her family live in Avalon and that Dèja must often act older than 10 by caring for her little brother and sister while her mother works. Because of her situation and experience with friends who looked down on her for being homeless, she approaches Brooklyn Collective Elementary defensively. When she enters homeroom for the first time, her “mouth is pressed tight, mean. Arms crossed, I look around daring anyone to disrespect me” (5). At this point, she doesn’t yet feel the sense of belonging in her class that will come later. Instead, her pessimism drives her behavior, and she is focused solely on getting through until she is 18, when she can be on her own and take care of herself—and “won’t ever get evicted” (6). So far in her life, she’s dealt with difficult struggles, and she resents Pop and his inability to contribute to his family when she feels that she has to do so much.

For Dèja, her sense of belonging and her growth throughout the novel both result from her attending school.