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1. How and why was Tamir Rice killed?

Tamir Rice was 12 when he was playing with a toy gun. He was killed by police officers who thought that the gun he was playing with was real.

2. What does Johnson say about growing up with his cousins in the Author's Note?

Johnson grew up with his cousins under the supervision of their grandmother, Nanny. They were four imaginative kids who were allowed the freedom to be themselves and make decisions on their own rather than being told there was only one way to do things.

3. What does Johnson say in the Author's Note about how Black boys are viewed?

Johnson comments that Black boys in society are often seen as adults by the time they are 12. They are viewed as dangerous and more prone to violence than white boys and often left broken.

4. Who was Nanny?

Nanny was born Louise Kennedy Evans in March 1941 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was the tenth child of 13 kids born to her mother, Lulu Mae Evans. She had Mark's mother, Kaye, when she was 16. She dropped out of school around the 10th grade and then married Rall Elder and staring a family. She had three additional children by birth. She had one adopted nephew and raised 24 foster kids.

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