Breakout

This section employs a widening variety of media, including notes, lists, music, and text messages, to show how the main characters undergo shifts in perspective; these shifts intensify the pacing of the novel and provide opportunities to see conversations between the characters as the girls get to know one another. There is a sense of realism at the core of these imperfect friendships as they acknowledge the biases they have held toward one another and recognize that they have more similarities than differences. They still stumble over some of the differences that do exist, such as Nora’s efforts to ask about Tamir Rice and the assumptions she makes about life in the Bronx. The narrative construction of weaving together the three girls’ perspectives as they attempt to make sense of reactions to the arrest of Lizzie’s grandmother and of the police treatment of Mr. Washington conveys Young People’s Ability to Confront Social Issues and the Racism, Bias, and Privilege at the root of this ugliness.

The assumption by police that Mr. Washington is an escaped prisoner because he is a Black man running is a pivotal moment. In addition to vividly depicting an example of injustice, the incident explores the different choices people make before, during, and after such an event. Nora’s decision to practice “civil disobedience” is the direct result of her growing understanding and empathy, as she “can’t stop thinking about what it must have been like for Mr. Washington—to be out running like we were and all of a sudden have all those guns pointed at him. I bet Wolf Creek didn’t feel very safe to him right then” (275). Nora’s surprise comes from the belief that anyone, no matter their race, should be able to freely go about their day without the assumption that they might be a criminal, and until now she has not experienced anything to contradict that. Elidee’s reactions, by contrast, demonstrate that she has learned the inevitability of such assumptions. When she writes to Troy, “I don’t know what that guy was thinking, going for a run with this going on. Mama would have lectured you up one side and down the other if you did that” (286), she characterizes Mr. Washington’s decision to run as a failure to realize such an injustice was inevitable and acknowledges her mother’s efforts to prepare her children to avoid such errors.

While many community dynamics up to this point have demonstrated how The Fear of Otherness can sour even good intentions, this section uses the girls’ growing friendship to illustrate how community dynamics can be positive when people work together and make an effort to see others clearly. Small moments in these pages—such as Elidee’s experience of generosity while strawberry picking, after which she concludes that maybe the Wolf Creek people talked about “wasn’t a total lie / After all” (292), and Project Michigan—demonstrate how kindness can overcome fear and pain. Elidee compares the communal efforts of making the chili dogs to a memory of selling lemonade with Troy, Owen’s participation helps him forget about his disappointing birthday, and Lizzie writes to her grandmother that “[i]t felt good to help out. Like maybe I was making up for what you did, at least a little” (316).

The events that occur over the weekend force the girls to recognize that the world is not as black and white as they have believed. Nora and Lizzie see that good people who have families that love them can do bad things, with Nora in particular having the epiphany that Troy “looked like such a good brother, laughing with his arm around [Elidee]. He looked nice” (280). Elidee’s decision to participate in the race is motivated by her sense of kinship with Lizzie as she sees Wolf Creek turn on one of its own, writing to Troy “I don’t know if it’s true, but part of me feels bad for that girl. People whisper about me, too, but at least I’m kind of used to it by now” (256). Though the characters often express doubt Wolf Creek will be much different when the time capsule is opened in 50 years, their willingness to confront these events conveys hope that a different dynamic is possible in the future.