Chapters 17 through 19 Summary and Analysis

Piri arrives at Brew's apartment and asks if he is ready to go. Brew's girlfriend, Alayce, asks why they are going. When Brew explains, Alayce says she does not understand—that she and Brew are black, that Piri is Puerto Rican, and that no Puerto Rican would ever just decide to be black because there is nothing worse than being black. Brew tells her blacks are to be proud of their race and their argument becomes heated before Brew tells of being alone one day when white boys approached him and threatened to "corn hole" him. He beat them up and dropped a rock on the face of one, prompting his mother and uncle to hurry him out of town to New York. He says that was three years ago and Piri asks if returning to the south...