Joseph “Jo-Jo” Brooks

Joseph “Jo-Jo” Brooks is the main character and narrator of this novel. He believes that the most traumatic moment of his life came when his father left their family home for another woman when Joseph was nine. He believes that he became angry and combative because his father was not there to say that he was proud of him. In fact, he translated being abandoned by his father as a sign that his father was not proud of him. Joseph saw his father years later when he returned home for his mother’s funeral. His father did not recognize Joseph and cursed him because Joseph unintentionally hit him with his elbow. Joseph beat his father up. Later, Joseph admitted to Bobby that he began to learn that lashing out at others and returning evil for evil did not make him feel any better after the experience...