Jake

Jake is the protagonist of the novel. One of his primary personality characteristics is his loyalty. As the novel opens, his best friend is Sam. The two have fun together running and playing pranks on Sam’s sister, Aamber. After the September 11 attacks, however, Sam starts to be targeted by classmates who bully Sam because his family is Muslim. Despite the fact that Sam starts to withdraw from his family and Jake and despite the fact that Sam is rude to Jake and refuses to stand up for himself against bullies, Jake remains loyal to him. He fights on behalf of Sam when he is punched to the ground. He defends him in words, and when he believes there will be an attack on Sam’s family, he tries to determine what the attack will be so that he can protect his friend. Most of this is done...