Chapter 2: In Search of Home

·         "To Wes, Tony was a 'certified gangsta.'  Tony had started dealing drugs in those shadowy hallways of Murphy Homes before he was ten." (Page 27)

This quote reveals that drug influence was prominent even among young people such as Tony.  It also reveals the corruption of Wes’ neighborhood and life.

      ·         "The Uplands became home to a thriving middle class, while over 1,700 units in Cherry Hill became a breeding ground for poverty, drugs, and despair." (Pages 28-29)

This quote shows how the drugs in Cherry Hill made it an area of misery compared with the richer and more affluent Uplands.

      ·         "She stumbled to the boy, with her right hand tightly gripping a wad of money.  The boy, no older than sixteen, darted his head back and forth, apparently looking for cops, customers, or both.  As she approached him and they started talking, the light turned green and my mother quickly hit the gas." (Page 38)

This quote shows that Wes' mother tried to shelter her children from the changing Bronx, which was slowly becoming corrupted by drug dealing.

      ·         "Fear and apathy had become the new norm in what had once been a close-knit community.  They also talked about something I'd never heard of before.  Crack." (Page 40)

This passage reveals that although crack dealing was a new commodity in the Bronx, it still instilled fear and danger among its citizens and remained very popular.

      ·         "I didn't know that drug fiends were we're still making use of those abandoned buildings for activities that would've blown my mind, or that the swollen hands on the man leaning against a telephone pole by himself – eyes flickering, head nodding – were telltale signs of needle injections." (Page 43)

This quote shows the innocence of Wes despite the corruption and drug dealing that took place in his neighborhood.  It also emphasizes the drug changes that took place in the Bronx when Wes grew up there.

Chapter 1: Is Daddy Coming with Us?

·         “That is one of only two memories I have of my father.  The other was when I watched him die.” (Page 11)

This quote reflects the theme of absent father s because it shows that even as a grown man, Moore is still haunted by the tragedy of his father’s death.

      ·         “My father’s love of Nikki had forced Bill to step up to his parenting responsibilities – it was almost as if Bill cared more because another man did.  With my father no longer in the picture, the pressure was off.  It was as if my sister lost two fathers that day.” (Page 15)

This quote shows the theme of absent fathers because it reveals the unfairness of Nikki’s situation when her supportive father died and her biological father refused to take his place.

      ·         “Wes got himself ready and went to check on his mother again.  He felt he had to take care of her: his father had been a ghost since his birth…Wes was the man of the house.” (Page 18)

This quote shows what little influence Wes’s father had on him, as Wes was forced to step up and be the one to take care of his mother.

      ·         “But the relationship between Mary and Bernard didn’t even make it to their child’s birth.  Since leaving high school years prior, Bernard hadn’t found a steady job.  He spent most of his time searching for himself at the bottoms of liquor bottles.” (Page 23)

This quote reveals that Bernard’s alcoholism was the main issue getting in the way of his relationship with his son.

      ·         “Wes didn’t understand why, but he felt a tension in the room.  Mary looked down at her son and uttered the words she had never said before and never thought she would have to say.  ‘Wes, meet your father.’” (Page 25)

This quote shows that Wes’s father had been absent all his life because both Wes and Mary did not understand why he had come to visit.