Summary

Chapter 9 contrasts the lives of August as her family became more devout to the teachings of the Nation of Islam and Sylvia, whose family expected great things from her. Chapter 9 details August's relationship with Sister Mama Loretta, who became a more a part of her family after August's mother died, even as August insisted on believing that her mother was not dead. Also during this time,her relationships with the three girls changed, and she remembered her mothers advice to never be friends with women. We see in Chapter 9 the beginning of the plot involving a boy named Jerome, whom August had known since she was nine years old.

The Chapter compares the changes in August's home life to that of Sylvia. Sylvia, on the other hand, was raised in a house filled with the French of Martinique, art depicting great historical figures from...