The Christmas Gifts
When Maya and Bailey receive Christmas presents from their parents one year, they burst into tears. Sounds like a couple of ungrateful brats, right? Who cries over presents? But here's the thing: t...
Easter Dress
This dress is going to be awesome. It's made of silk, has ruffles on the hem, and tucks in at the waist. What could be cuter? Maya wears the Easter Sunday dress during the prologue. For weeks befor...
Food
Maya sure talks about food a lot. We hear about the food that Momma makes, the food in St. Louis, the food in San Francisco. Is she just really hungry, or is there something else to this literary s...
The Store
The Store dominates the first half of the novel. It's where the workers of the community gather every day and where people come to pass the time. When everyone needs to listen to that famous boxing...
The Baby
When is a baby not a baby? When he's a symbol for everything his mother has ever wanted! The novel ends with the birth of Maya's son when she is sixteen years old. This would be a big deal under an...