Coming of Age

Nkrumah traces Ella’s coming of age through her novel Wade in the Water as Ella faces racism, abuse, and a search for her identity. Ella has been taught about racism all of her life, but she does not realize its far-reaching effects until Katherine comes to town. Through her coming-of-age journey, Ella must also come to terms with the reason that she is being abused. Since she has never known her father, Ella is searching for her own identity, an identity that Mr. Macabe helps her secure when he finally tells her about the time he met her father.

The adults in Ella’s town have told her about Freedom Summer and the retaliatory burning of White-owned businesses in Ricksville, but Ella does not fully understand racism until Katherine comes to town. Ella befriends Katherine, not knowing that Katherine is using her as...