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1. Describe the narrative style of the memoir. How does Walker describe her past in the opening of the narrative?

Rebecca Walker starts her autobiography with several vignettes of her life. She shares stories from her childhood in snapshot-like snippets. As a preface, she confesses her feelings about her mixed heritage. She confesses that it is hard to remember details of her life; she says her personal history exists in broken pieces in her mind.

2. How does Walker describe her first birthday in Part 1? What does she urge the reader to do on their own?

On walker's first birthday, her mother fed her two of her favorite foods, chitterlings and chocolate cake. She celebrated with her indulgent parents, though her father, a lawyer, left right after to go to work. Walker encourages her readers to seek out the details of their own birth, to ask after the details of the day, not just the dry facts.

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