Quiara has two influential men in her life: her father and Sedo, her mother’s boyfriend, whom she eventually starts calling “Pop.” What influence do these men have on her childhood? How are they different? Do they have anything in common?

Discuss the different forms of religion and spirituality that appear in the text. How does Quiara feel about religion, and how does it influence her as a child? How do these experiences of religion tie into broader notions of colonialism, racism, and/or belonging?

What are Quiara’s relationships like with her different cousins? What role do they play in her life? How do her cousins’ lives expose socioeconomic disadvantages and structural racism in the USA?