fence

A fence is a criminal who buys stolen goods in order to sell and turn a profit.

chinook

Chinook means snow-eater. It refers to high land that is windy and sunny, which blows away and melts snow at a very fast pace.

Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming is where John lives. It is a small town of white people in the West. Being black is a novelty there.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is where John and Robby grew up. Robby and the rest of the family still live there. Their section of Pittsburgh is ghetto. The city is an old, coal mining town that is very hot in the summer.

UPenn

UPenn, or University of Pennsylvania, is an Ivy League school in Philadelphia where John received his undergraduate degree. When John went there, it was mostly rich, white students and he had trouble fitting into the white world.

Homewood Avenue