“So far we’ve named more than thirty different coups in Africa. It’s become a game with us. Name a dictator and then guess the year and country. We’ve been playing the game for over a year now. We’ve expanded our playing field to include failed coups, rebellions, minor insurrections, guerrilla leaders, and the acronyms of as many rebel groups as we can find—the SPLA, TPLF, LRA, UNITA—anyone who has picked up a gun in the name of revolution.”
-- Stephanos (chapter 1 paragraph 47)

Importance: History is something that’s important to all of their characters. This shows how attached they still are to Africa. It’s also an example of the friendship they all share.

We waited ten and then twenty minutes before we finally realized that no one was coming to us, regardless of what we wore or how long we stood there.”
-- Stephanos (chapter 1 paragraph 91)

Importance: One of the themes of the...