Summary

In the Prologue, during a visit to Jay’s grandmother and grandfather in the Philippines, Jay tried to save a puppy whose mother refused to care for it. Despite Jay’s attempts to feed the puppy, it died. Jay’s mother held him as he cried and explained to him: “One thing dies, and another is born” (xiv). Jun, Jay’s cousin, hugged him and told him that he was sad also. He invited Jay inside to read comics.

In “Wisdom from on High,” seven years later, Jay and Seth sit on the roof of their Michigan high school together. They will graduate in a few weeks and they are unsure about their future. Seth tosses Jay a gift, a University of Michigan hoodie. Jay is not excited because he did not get accepted into any of the Ivy League schools to which...