Money Hungry

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Zora (Chapter 1)

2. Because her neighbors, Shoe and Check, urinate in the hallway (Chapter 2)

3. Sneakers that cost $120 (Chapter 3)

4. Zenna has the flu. (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Raspberry’s father had a drug addiction that caused her family to unravel; Raspberry’s father was violent to her mother; Raspberry and Momma have experienced homelessness, as well as living in a women’s shelter. (Chapters 1-4)

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. She overhears two elderly women discussing house-cleaning rates on the bus. (Chapter 5)

2. Because her parents already expect her to do a lot of work for their family food truck (Chapter 6)

3. Her love of money (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. Mai has a Black mother and a Korean father, but racial identity is a sore subject for her—she does not identify as biracial. Ja’nae thinks that that’s silly, and that Mai should, like their friend Ming (who is also Black and Korean) feel a sense of pride over her biracial identity. (Chapter 7)

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. By making racist comments toward Mai (Chapter 9)

2. Raspberry lends Ja’nae $200. (Chapter 10)

3. Ms. Neeta (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. She tells herself it’s okay to steal the money because of her original agreement with Ja’nae: that Raspberry would lend Ja’nae $200, and then Ja’nae would give any money she earns from house cleaning to Raspberry until the $200 is paid back. (Chapter 12)

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. She has a nightmare in which she and Momma are living on the streets again. (Chapter 13)

2. Section 8 (Chapter 14)

3. Afro-soul and Korean fusion (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Though Zora is privileged in many ways, she expresses underlying anxiety when she says, “My mom and dad, they could get back together, you know.” Zora and Raspberry each grapple with the relationship between their parents and its implications for their own lives. For Zora, that means admitting that her parents will not get back together, while Raspberry remains frustrated with Momma “trying to act all proper” around Dr. Mitchell but softens when she sees the care with which Dr. Mitchell treats Momma. This attention is especially important because of its contrast with Momma’s history of domestic violence. Mai, meanwhile, has a conflict about her identity, which escalates in this section. She does not want to be viewed as different or “other.” (Chapters 13-15)

Chapters 16-20

Reading Check

1. Her mother (Chapter 16)

2. Jade Street (Chapter 17)

3. $40 (Chapter 18)

4. He reads an entry in Ja’nae’s journal, which says Raspberry stole the money from her. (Chapter 19)

Short Answer

1. Mai wants to avoid family problems; Zora wants a pair of new jeans; Ja’nae continues to be elusive in her true reasons for wanting money, although the admission that she’s been calling her mother in California using phone cards is a likely impetus. (Chapters 16-20)

Chapters 21-23

Reading Check

1. $35 (Chapter 21)

2. A car wash (Chapter 22)

3. Their couch, microwave, and television (Chapter 23)

Short Answer

1. The monotony and repetition of pushing the cart full of money represent Raspberry’s weariness at having to constantly worry about money. As much as she claims to love money, this scene and this repetitive dream suggest that she seeks a life in which money is no longer the driving concern. (Chapter 23)

Chapters 24-28

Reading Check

1. Dr. Mitchell (Chapter 25)

2. Her mother (Chapter 26)

3. A bus ticket for her mother (Chapter 27)

Short Answer

1. Check and Shoe hooked up with some “baby thugs” and they broke into the apartment together. Odd Job tells Raspberry to exercise restraint and not to lash out at Check and Shoe because the natural consequences will take care of themselves. (Chapter 24)