CHAPTER 1 Themes: Racism, police brutality, code-switching, identity Connection: The protagonist, Starr, is introduced as a character who feels like she has to change her behavior and language depending on the situation, highlighting the theme of code-switching. Significant quote: "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black" (p8) CHAPTER 2 Themes: Community, friendship, identity Connection: Starr's interactions with her friends and family show the importance of community and friendship in her life, and the struggles she faces with balancing her identity as a black person from a predominantly black neighborhood and as a student at a primarily white school. Significant quote: "That's the problem. …show more content…
Significant quote: "I didn't know a dead person could be charged with anything" (p. 28) CHAPTER 4 Themes: family Connection: Starr's interactions with her family and community show how her identity is shaped by the people and places around her, and the importance of family and community support. Significant quote: "If you don't see my blackness, you don't see me" (p. 37) CHAPTER 5 Themes: Racism, stereotypes Connection: Starr confronts the stereotypes and racism present in her predominantly white school, and the pressure she feels to conform to those stereotypes to fit in. Significant quote: "I'm not ghetto. I'm Starr. If you don't see that, you don't know me" (p. 47) CHAPTER 6 Themes: family, grief Connection: Starr's grief over Khalil's death and her struggle to process her emotions highlight the importance of family support and the impact of trauma on personal identity. Significant quote: "I never really knew a dead person could be a ghost, but I was learning" (p. …show more content…
Significant quote: "We live in a complicated world. You gotta be careful who you're following" (p. 74) CHAPTER 8 Themes: Racism, stereotypes, identity Connection: Starr confronts the racism and stereotypes present in her white boyfriend's family, highlighting the difficulty of navigating interracial relationships and the impact of systemic racism on personal relationships. Significant quote: "I don't want to hear about 'All Lives Matter.' This ain't about that. This is about us" (p. 84) CHAPTER 9 Themes: Police brutality, activism, community Connection: Starr attends a rally and witnesses the power of community activism and solidarity in response to police brutality and systemic racism. Significant quote: "We need to be out here stressing that our lives matter" (p. 101) CHAPTER 10 Themes: grief Connection: Starr's struggle to process her grief over Khalil's death and her personal identity is highlighted by her interactions with her family and community. Significant quote: "Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right" (p. 125) CHAPTER