“Naija had already graduated from college. He would come home after work, change into his clothes that were straight fire, and sometimes cut his and Jordan’s hair. He had skills and could cut designs like playing cards into the back of his head. I would watch him and study his technique for hours. But it seemed to be happening less and less. He was a grown man with a full-time job, a new car, and a girlfriend. Naija didn’t have time to cut hair all day.”

These lines from Chapter 1 introduce the link between art and cutting hair that J.D. later uses to provide his classmates with a unique service. When J.D. describes Naija’s clothes as “straight fire,” he is admiring Naija’s fashion choices, and he clearly views the older boy as a role model. The term “straight fire” has roots in hip-hop culture and is used in appreciation of artistic clothing choices. In this passage, J.D.’s enthusiasm for Naija’s artistic flair foreshadows his own growing interest in the art of cutting hair. The final lines highlight how J.D. uses his talent to forge his own path. While Naija doesn’t have time to cut hair because he has adult responsibilities, J.D. embarks on his own barbering journey, and his efforts demonstrate that artistic talent can become a source of both pride and income for the ambitious protagonist.

“At first, she told us she was going back to school to become a nurse. But after spending six months working at the hospital, she quit.

‘I hate the hospital,’ Mom said one night after a long shift. ‘Everybody isn’t treated the same.’

I didn’t know exactly what happened, but I used to overhear her talking to my granddad about people being turned away for not having insurance or patients being given pills they didn’t need!”

J.D.’s mother provides him with a dynamic role model for his own ambitions. Just like J.D, his mom also experiences the results of her hard work, and she is not afraid to pivot and try new things when her initial ideas do not turn out quite as she planned.