Genesis Begins Again

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. “Eggplant” and “Char” (Chapter 1)

2. Lemons (Chapter 2)

3. Farmington Hills (Chapter 3)

4. A poker chip (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. First, there are the financial impacts of his alcoholism and gambling addiction, which have driven them into poverty and caused his family to be evicted from their home many times. Second, it also takes an emotional toll on Genesis. She recalls the memory of when her dad drunkenly “went off” on her in the basement, and the verbal attacks he made about her dark skin. (Chapters 1-4)

Chapters 5-9

Reading Check

1. Ms. Luctenburg (Chapter 5)

2. Rihanna (Chapter 6)

3. Rabies (Chapter 7)

Short Answer

1. The figure is W.E.B. DuBois. Troy’s mom made him and his sister read The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. DuBois because she wanted them to know that “no matter where we came from, we can still be great” (Chapter 8). Troy is surprised when Genesis does not know who DuBois is. She says the only people they teach about during Black history month are Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. Troy explains that DuBois was one of the founders of the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), a civil rights organization formed in the US in 1909. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 10-14

Reading Check

1. Her hair (Chapter 10)

2. A promotion at work (Chapter 11)

3. Because there are no paper towels (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. According to Grandma, “marrying up” means marrying other light-skinned Black people, in order to stay ahead socially. Grandma believes that “marrying up” allowed her—and Genesis’s—ancestors to be proud senators and lawyers, not slaves. (Chapter 13)

Chapters 15-19

Reading Check

1. If she sings a lot and if she is auditioning for the talent show (Chapter 15)

2. She pours it down the drain. (Chapter 16)

3. The violin (Chapter 17)

Short Answer

1. Mama reveals that when she was a young girl, everyone thought she was stuck-up and better than everyone for being light-skinned. Grandma, on the other hand, loved when people said Mama looked white. She loved Mama’s long hair, but girls bullied her and yanked on her hair. Grandma made sure to always tell Mama she was “better than most Blacks” (211). The idea that a light-skinned person would be taunted surprises Genesis, who was under the impression that only dark-skinned people like her were bullied. Genesis learns a different angle on how colorism affects light-skinned Black people. (Chapter 18)

Chapters 20-24

Reading Check

1. Both make sure the different foods on their plate do not touch. (Chapter 20)

2. Acoustic guitar (Chapter 21)

3. Ella Fitzgerald (Chapter 23)

Short Answer

1. After having this thought, Genesis catches herself being judgmental and she acknowledges her own internalized colorism. Crucially, in this moment, she catches herself making judgements and stops. It shows an evolution in her character that she recognizes her own internal biases. (Chapter 22)

Chapters 25-29

Reading Check

1. Chico, Emory’s friend (Chapter 25)

2. Mama apologizes for not listening to Genesis and for taking Emory’s side. (Chapter 26)

3. 5 days (Chapter 27)

Short Answer

1. Genesis has a blind spot when it comes to beauty and popularity because there are clear signs that Yvette and Belinda are not as friendly as they might appear. They make fun of Nia’s hair, and they make snide comments about Genesis’s hair, like when Yvette tells her she can “smell [her] cooked hair” (255). Genesis’s desire to feel beautiful and popular clouds her judgment in seeking a friendship with Yvette and Belinda. (Chapter 28)

Chapters 30-33

Reading Check

1. Vitiligo (Chapter 30)

2. “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith (Chapter 31)

3. She tears it up. (Chapter 33)

Short Answer

1. In a moment of emotional vulnerability, Emory tearfully admits that he never wanted Genesis to look or act like him, and that is why he said mean things to her. He says his mother used to tell him that she wished it was Emory, not Charlie, who died, because Emory would never amount to anything. When Emory drinks, he can finally forget his mother’s voice, and that is why he does what he does. (Chapter 32).