Point of View

The story is told in first-person narration, filtered through the eyes, ears, and thoughts of the young unnamed narrator. The narrator is eleven at the outset of the novel, and thirteen by the end. Nearing adulthood as she is, and described as the "smart one" by her friends, the narrator has a mature perspective on events but is nonetheless still a child who cannot fully comprehend certain things, such as the racist motivations behind Tupac's persecution.

The narrator struggles with many of the typical puberty-era challenges the target reader may be struggling with: issues of acceptance and peer pressure, awkwardness due to sudden growth spurts, uncertainty about one's purpose or ultimate goals, and a desire to break free from one's parents to become an independent individual. Target readers will likely identify with the narrator's struggles and relate these struggles to their own lives.

With significant candor...