Content Warning: This section includes discussions of racism, colorism, racially motivated violence and abuse, and rape.

The book’s main theme is the deep-rooted and ever-prevalent nature of racism in the US. Through Kitty’s character, the reader sees the history of how the racist structure of US society was built, starting with white people enslaving Black people and progressing to the segregated South of the Jim Crow era. Through Kitty, the reader sees how the events of the civil rights era, like the murder of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycotts, affected Black people throughout the United States. Through Elise’s character, the reader receives a reality check: The racism of Kitty’s past is still present to this day. The narrative references modern incidents like the backlash against football player Colin Kaepernick for kneeling in honor of #blacklivesmatter and against Meghan Markle for marrying a white English prince. Elise reveals that when she posts about #blacklivesmatter on her Instagram, her publicist, Rebecca, takes the posts down because they make her uncomfortable and go against Elise’s “brand,” which in Rebecca’s eyes requires her to look and behave as white as possible. Finally, in the book’s final chapters, it is revealed that Elise witnessed and experienced police brutality as a child when her father was pulled over by the LA police with Elise in the car.