In this first chapter, we are introduced to the main character, Richard and the members of his family all of whom are poor, black and living in the Natchez, Tennessee of the early days of the 20th century.
Four year-old Richard, the oldest of two children, is attempting to obey his mother's instructions to "make no noise" as his Grandmother is cared for during a serious illness. Frustration, curiosity, and the ego only a teasing younger brother can evoke, lead Richard to what is the first in a series of behaviors that are to mark him, in the eyes of most of his family, as a "bad" boy for years to come.
Before the first chapter ends, Richard burns down his grandparents' house and kills a cat in an attempt to show up his father......
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