Point of View

The novel is written from the first person plural point of view. This unconventional narrative voice is representative of a community of brown girls who grow up "in the dregs of Queens, New York" (3). In Part One, "'Brown,'" the narrator describes the girls' varying appearances, a description which addresses the author's approach to point of view. Though the girls all have varying racial and ethnic backgrounds and their complexions are thus all varying shades of brown, the narrator tells the reader, "But don't get it twisted—we're still brown" (5). The first person plural narrator, therefore, speaks for a collection of brown girls, and seeks to trace their coming of age experiences. By using first person plural pronouns throughout the novel, the author is able to show how the brown girls remain connected throughout time.

As the novel unfolds and the girls begin to part...