How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Yo, Reese, when you get out we should maybe work for a year and then buy a car. We could have a gypsy cab business. […] I'm not too hopeful about the scholarship anymore. (19.9)
Reese's friend Kenneth is smart and great at basketball, but he feels less and less hopeful about college by the day. Why do you think this is? What forces are working against him?
Quote #8
King Kong, he would go back to swinging on trees and climbing up buildings and being stupid, because sometimes settling for stupid was easier than reaching for anything better. If you gave him a free bus pass, he couldn't get nowhere because there wasn't anyplace for him to get to. (21.11)
Compared to Reese, King Kong has a decided lack of ambition. Being ambitious is harder than just settling for what you have—it involves rolling up your sleeves and refusing to settle.
Quote #9
"I probably won't be able go to go college."
"Why not?" I asked.
"I don't know," Icy said.
"Not a lot of people from our block go to college."
"You're going," I said. "I'll pay for it." (28.35-28.39)
In the tough neighborhood where Reese is from, it's easy for dreams to die. But he wants to nurture his little sister's ambition, so he promises he'll pay for her college. Now they both have missions to complete.