Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect of Christianity that believes that the end of the world is near and that believers can be close to God in the afterlife. Toswiah's mother becomes a Jehovah's Witness when she gets literature from door-to-door preachers, and she hands tracts to strangers on the street, trying to tell them the good news about religion.

Blue Wall of Silence

The Blue Wall of Silence is an unacknowledged law among police officers: never betray your fellow policeman. Toswiah's father breaks this wall when he testifies against his fellow cops.

Track and field

This is the sport Toswiah takes up when she arrives in her new school. She does not tell her mother that she is going to run, because she thinks that her mother will oppose her. But her coach sees talent in her, and she enjoys running. When she puts her mind...