Another Brooklyn, By Jaquline Woodson

Sisters: a close friend who is always there for you no matter what. In Another Brooklyn, by Jaquline Woodson, Gigi refers to her close friends August, Sylvia, and Angela as sisters; they were supposed to always be there for each other and do anything to see each other succeed. However, while Gigi pursued her acting career, her sisters did not support her. Gigi was a half-Chinese, half-black American teenager who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Gigi’s mother educated Gigi about their family, and often compared Gigi to her great-grandmother because they both had thick, dark hair. Gigi was kind and loyal to her friends, and expected the same from them. She supported her friend Angela, who dreamt of being a dancer. Gigi aspired to be an actor, and

Gigi’s mother told Gigi about her great-grandparents, who came from China, Africa, and who knows. Gigi learned about the struggles she would face because she was a poor young black woman in America, with dark skin. She would face the dual curse of racism and classism. Her hair was a symbol of her black heritage. It was dark, heavy, braided, and thick, just like her great-grandmother’s. Her hair was a physical and visual connection that bound Gigi to her family and ancestors. Furthermore, Gigi’s mom passed down her own insecurities and vulnerabilities to Gigi. Gigi’s mom directed Gigi to try to keep her skin as light as possible in order to avoid conflict. Gigi viewed this as crazy. Because Gigi had a poor relationship with her mom, she had no support from her family and was left vulnerable, forcing her to turn to her friends for support. Gigi’s hair connected her to her friends. Her friends complimented her hair, helped her braid them and talked while braiding Gigi’s hair. August recounted a time when the friend group talked about their lives and dreams they had, “We circled her, undoing her braids until her hair fell in black coils across her shoulders, then rebraiding and unbraiding them again, telling her how lucky she was to have such thick wavy hair and eyes like a Chinese girl” (Woodson 57). Essentially, Gigi’s friends are supporting her when they braid her hair. Throughout most of the book, Gigi’s