“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood, where it’s a little bit broken and a little bit forgotten, the first they want to do is clean it up. But it’s not just the junky stuff they’ll get rid of. People can be thrown away too, like last night’s trash left out on sidewalks…”

The book’s opening line sets the tone, casting a critical eye towards gentrification, one of the central themes. A simile is used to compare people to trash, driving home how damaging gentrification and the class disparities it illuminates are.

“Something about the Darcys moving in makes me want to hold Bushwick a little bit tighter and for a little bit longer, as if it’s slowly slipping away—like Janae, and high school…”

This quote foreshadows the changes that are to come in the book. Zuri is reluctant to change—herself, her sister, her home, her neighborhood—but will have change foisted upon her. Her fear that the world she knows is “slipping away” will ultimately be realized by the book’s end.

“I’ve seen him do little things like this all my life. And I know in my heart of hearts that their kind of love is very rare.”

Zuri describes her dad, Papi, doing small acts of kindness for her mom, Mama, like bringing her a glass of water. Her recognition of these deeds as true love shows that she recognizes the value and rarity of love—and that true love isn’t about grand displays of affection, but about small, intentional acts. Mama and Papi’s relationship also demonstrates a tight-knit family unit and the example Zuri upholds when considering her own relationships.