Jeremy 'Lil J' Dance

Lil J is the street name for Jeremy Dance, the main character of the novel. Lil J has had a difficult life. Lil J has been essentially abandoned by his father and lives with an alcoholic mother. From the time Lil J was a young child, he had to take responsibility for his mother, attempting to hide the disgrace of her alcoholism from the world. Due to this, Lil J has found it difficult to keep his grades up and fails to graduate with his class.

Lil J allows the hardships of his life to dictate his behaviors. When Lil J is unable to use his own compositions in a school rap group, he quits and gets high. When Lil J learns he will not graduate with his class, he quits and goes to Texas where he is arrested for trying to rob a convenience...