View a FREE sample

1. What clues does the author inject into the party scene that indicate that gunshots are not a rare occurrence in Starr's neighborhood of Garden Heights?

Starr says that she does not try to see who has been shot or who may have done the shooting because "you can't snitch if you don't know anything" (16). Also, Kenya texts Starr after everyone flees the party and after making sure Starr is okay, Kenya immediately focuses her attention back on the teen drama she had been focused on at the party. In addition, Starr says that in her neighborhood, stepping on someone's shoes could get you shot at.

2. What is revealed about Starr's dad Maverick's criminal past in the opening three chapters?

In the opening chapters of the novel, the reader finds out that Maverick had previously been a member of the King Lords gang. The reader is also alerted to the fact that Maverick had been sent to prison from the time Starr was three until the age of six and that his prison time had been the result of copping to a gun charge on behalf of King, since the third felony would have sent King to prison for life. Upon his release from prison, though, Maverick used his leverage with the gang to get out and go straight. That is when he bought the neighborhood grocery store that the family still owns and operates.

(read all 60 Short Essay Questions and Answers)

This section contains 5,781 words (approx. 20 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample