In this section of the book, I feel like this was Kiese´s phase of becoming. He is starting to embrace the cultural aspect of being African American like using slang words and adding his unique perspective to life. He is starting to believe that ultimately, being black is the more ¨abundant¨ way of life in comparison to being ¨gross¨ His weight is really starting to get in his head and make him reconsider his identity. Also his relationship with Abby caused him to feel insecure in many ways because he does not want to be labeled as a ¨sellout¨ being that Abby is white. With age, Kiese is maturing quickly and is starting to recognize a lot about race.

One moment that stood out to me was when Kiese said ¨all my teachers, who happen to be white men, patted me on the head in class and said ¨Good for you, Kee-say¨ when I got an obvious answer right¨(Kiese 81). This quote stood out to because it alludes to the idea that some white people underestimate black people when it comes to being intellectual. I know this to be true because I work in a white neighborhood and I often get complimented for completing the smallest of tasks. These moments are extremely uncomfortable for me and the comments never actually translate as compliments.