I. Dream of Cream Summary

In Chapter I, "Dream of Cream," all of the main characters and their surrounding dramas are introduced. Nat Jaffe, who is white and Jewish, and Archy Stallings, who is African-American, co-own a nostalgic record store in Oakland, California on Telegraph Avenue. The novel centrals around, initially, the impeding doom that a new record store will be opened by Gibson Goode, a wealthy ex-pro-football player will be opened down the street, putting Nat and Archy out of business.

Aviva, Nat's wife, and Gwen, Archy's wife, are also partners. They co-run the Berkley Birth Partners together and are midwives. In this chapter they delver a baby at a woman's home and the birthing woman does not deliver the placenta. They call an ambulance and she is rushed to the hosptial. At the hospital Gwen and the attending OB-GYN get...