One Crazy Summer Memory and the Past Quotes

In an instant, memories of Cecile come flooding back to Delphine. Suddenly, she remembers how her mom was before she left. It doesn't all make sense, exactly, but it helps prepare Delphine for what to expect from mommy dearest when they meet in Oakland for the first time in years.

From her memories, we might not be able to tell what happened, but we know the emotion of it. Delphine remembers anger, sadness, happiness—all stuff that gives you the feels. Her memories are more about the impact of what took place, rather than the details of what was going down.

Check out how Delphine describes the process of remembering someone. The only thing she's confident about when it comes to her mother is her size and color—Cecile's more like an outline than a full person in Delphine's memory.

Cecile wants to remember the past with her new name. To Delphine, it's a little contrived and forced. Not to Cecile, though; her ancestor's struggles impact the way she thinks about the movement now. In remembering her heritage with her new name, Cecile shows the world what took place in her past.

We can tell that just the act of remembering someone can be beneficial. It doesn't help Bobby to be remembered after he's gone—it's more about the people who are left behind. They try to honor the injustice of what happened to Bobby by engaging in political struggle as a way of making sure it doesn't happen again.

Hanging around her mom and spending time with her in the sacred kitchen reminds Delphine of what it was like growing up. She recalls being with her folks in the kitchen, though she stops herself from remembering more. We're thinking this is so she can be fully checked-in to this present moment with her mom. Consider it making a new memory instead of drifting into an old one.

Recalling what happened when her father was stopped by the police isn't like Delphine's other memories. It doesn't take place in flashes or spurts, and instead it's one, fluid narrative. Maybe that's because it was so scary at the time that Delphine remembers every second of it.

As Delphine thinks back on the huge role Miss Patty Cake has played in Fern's life, she wonders whether Fern remembers all the good times with her little doll. What do you think is up with this?

You'd think you'd remember something as life altering as watching your little sister being born, but Delphine doesn't. Maybe this is because she connects Fern's birth with their mom leaving, which was scary and sad for her. Memory is a weird thing. It doesn't always make sense or act logically, you know.