The Similarities Between Justyce And Manny

Although Justyce and Manny had a lot in common, there were still things that drew them apart and made them different. Whether it was friendships, their background, or even how they dealt with racism, not every aspect of their lives were similar. To begin, let's look at their friendships. For the most part, they talked to the same people, Justyce sometimes hung out with Manny and his friends and Manny was friendly with SJ. A specific example in the text was when Justyce took part in Jareds equality brigade after Manny talked him into it, “Jus, of course, wasn't real keen at first . . . but he let Manny talk him into it” (Stone 39). They just had preferences as to who they hung out with. To illustrate, Justyce preferred to hang out with SJ

While Justyce seems to be more educated and aware, Manny seemed to be more oblivious to his friend's racism, that is until the end of part 1. He seems to realize what he's been putting up with, snapping in the process, “I’m serious, Jus. Them fools don't wanna hear when they’re being offensive. They couldn't care less what it's like to live in our skin. Those assholes aren't my damn friends” (Stone 83). Justyce is happy knowing that Manny was on his side, but he used to think differently. At the beginning of the book, Manny is pretty much clueless about what his friends are doing, putting up with their racist comments and actions. Justyce doesn't appreciate the fact that he's so ok with their behavior, as shown in the following quote, “These dudes disrespect you–disrespect us– all the time, and you never say anything about it. You just go along with whatever they say'' (Stone 72). Justyce and Manny both had different ways of dealing with racism at first, Justyce being more aware due to his experiences with police in the past, and Manny choosing to ignore it after putting up with his friends for so long. But in the end, Manny realizes how awful his friends are, and sides with