Same Sun Here

River Justice has red hair, freckles, and loves to play basketball in his small hometown of Black Banks, Kentucky. Just like Meena, he is 12 years old, loves and appreciates nature, and has a close relationship with his grandmother, Mawmaw. He feels he can tell Meena about things he would not tell his friends, such as the books he is reading and his goal to be a news reporter in the future.

Living in a mostly white community, River isn’t used to interacting with people who are different from him, and he changes throughout the course of the novel to become more culturally aware and respectful. For example, when he first tells Meena about Dr. Patel and his wife Chandra, the only Indian people in his community, he says Dr. Patel has a “funny” accent (25) and openly stares at Chandra’s bindi. However, after discovering his many similarities with Meena and learning more about Indian culture from her, he gains the confidence to talk to Chandra and becomes friends with her. By the end of the book, River learns that people are alike, no matter what skin color they have.

River also struggles throughout his correspondence with Meena to know how to stand up for his beliefs in a mature and effective way. When Sam calls him a name and he fights back, he learns that violence is not the best way to go about standing up for one’s beliefs. Later, when a man makes rude comments about Obama, he can’t muster the bravery or think of anything to say in return to assert his own opinion. However, at the march on the capital, River finally knows what to do. He courageously follows his instincts and approaches the governor with a simple invitation, which leads to the protest gaining national attention. River learns the value of speaking up for one’s beliefs, and he learns to do so without violence or disrespect. 

Mawmaw, or Nellie Justice, is River’s fiery grandmother who is passionate about her beliefs and always stands up for what she thinks is right. As an interim mother figure for River, she treats him as an adult, and in turn, he respects her and learns from her. Mawmaw is an activist. She works with an organization to fight mountaintop removal in Black Banks, leads the march on the capitol, and states her opinions even when they are controversial. Even though she has differing political views from the majority of the community and receives ridicule, she doesn’t back down from her opinions.

Mawmaw teaches River to bravely stand up for his beliefs without using violence or putting others down, and is proud of him for coming to the march and confronting the governor in a simple way. She acts as a voice of wisdom throughout River’s letters to Meena, as he constantly repeats what “Mawmaw says” about a variety of subjects. At a pivotal stage in River’s development of his own opinions and beliefs, Mawmaw teaches him how to have courage and to fight for what he believes in. She embodies both kindness and toughness in her quest for justice. 

Meena’s 17-year-old brother Kiku has been in New York much longer than Meena, and he helps her adjust to American culture. He plays her American music, tells her his secrets, and teaches her to talk like an American. However, Meena finds out for herself that sometimes his ideas about other people are wrong, such as the stereotype that all Southerners are racist.

Despite his occasional flaws, Kiku is a sweet older brother to Meena. He lets Meena borrow his razor to shave her legs because he understands what it feels like to be made fun of. He also takes her all over the city as a birthday present, and he treats her as a friend rather than a little sister.

Kiku knows just what to do to help Meena release her anger after Dadi dies. When he finds her sitting in the closet because she wants to be alone, he takes her to the subway platform and teaches her to scream as the train arrives to let go of some of her pent up grief and anger. It’s clear that he’s done this before, which suggests that he has faced his own struggles during his time in New York.

Kiku’s sweet nature towards Meena reveals his maturity as well as his desire to help her navigate life in America. Their unusually close sibling relationship suggests that being far away from home and immersed in a foreign culture brought them closer than they would have been within their own cultural comfort zone.