Cassie

The main character of the story, Cassie is a black adolescent girl that is witnessing the turmoil of the pre-Civil Rights era firsthand. As the only daughter of a farmer, she surrounds herself with her male siblings and almost-exclusively male friends. She is, by definition, a tomboy. With an admiration for her older brother that's typical of any little sister, she grieves the inevitable ordeal of growing up.

In the wake of numerous events that challenge the class systems and social behaviors of her time, Cassie is always more focused on the inner workings of her family. Racial slurs and other abuses, while not acceptable to her, seem to be perfectly normal to her. She is at an age, though, where she is beginning to question the actions of the white community. She recognizes the first seeds of injustice, and guided by her family and the community, she...