3. When Starr and her friends sing loudly, "Just get'cha head in the game" during the PE basketball game, what musical does Starr say they are referencing?

4. In what type of vehicle are the King Lords sitting while Seven and Starr play one-on-one basketball the day after the riots break out?

5. What separates the customers from the cashier at Reuben's BBQ?

Short Essay Questions

1. At what moments does Starr feel she has overstepped her bounds or has made mistakes within her interview with the detectives who question her about the night of Khalil's death?

2. What sort of help does DeVante seek from Maverick and what sort of help does he receive?

3. What does Starr say she has always said she would do if she ever saw a black person killed just for being black and how does it contrast with her feelings now that she is actually in that position?

4. What racist comment does Hailey make to Starr during the basketball game in PE that upsets Starr?

5. What is revealed about Starr's dad Maverick's criminal past in the opening three chapters?

6. What reasons does Starr give for keeping from Chris the fact that she had witnessed Khalil's murder?

7. Whom does Starr call when she feels she can no longer handle being at school the day of the basketball game altercation and why?

8. What clues does the author inject into the party scene that indicate that gunshots are not a rare occurrence in Starr's neighborhood of Garden Heights?

9. What is the origin story of Seven's conception and how does it affect the family dynamic?

10. Contrast Maverick's view of Khalil's shooting with Uncle Carlos's view of Khalil's shooting.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the author's comparison among Riverton Hills, Garden Heights, and Brook Falls. What is her purpose in presenting these three neighborhood archetypes?