Summary

In Chapter 9, Diamond receives another letter from Lena. Lena responds to the stories Diamond shared from her life. She answers Diamond’s questions about Swift River’s history. She describes her relationship with the place and how she can imagine how difficult it is for Diamond “to live there” (114). After the Black textile mill workers asked for better wages, the white community panicked and began passing discriminatory laws. They banned Black people from owning property and frequenting local shops (114). As a result, the Black residents decided to leave Swift River all together one night. They went to the South, the North, and the West to make new lives.

In Chapter 10, “1987,” Diamond sits in Ladybug, studying her parents’ wedding photo, talking to Pop, and thinking about Lena’s letters. She studies Clara in the photo and notices their resemblance. She has been hiding Lena's...