56 pages • 1 hour read
Naima CosterWhat's Mine and Yours
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Discuss how the parents at Central High School reacted to the transfer students and how that attitude influenced the behavior of their children. What might have been different if the parents had been more accepting of the situation?
Why do you think the author chose to tell her story in a divided timeline? How does hiding the fact that Nelson is Gee impact the reader’s response to Nelson? Does the alternating timeline make the plot easier or harder to follow? Explain.
Compare and contrast the characters of Jade and Lacey May. How are they similar in their motivations? How are their motivations different? How are the outcomes of their actions similar? Different?
In the first chapter, Robbie tells Ray that his children are the future and that it is important to invest in that future. How does Robbie invest in his children’s future? How does Robbie’s opinion of that investment change over time, and why?
Robbie tells Margarita she is the child most like him. What evidence is there of that? How does that idea influence Margarita as she becomes an adult? How much control does Margarita have over their shared attributes?
Lacey May chooses Hank over Robbie multiple times in the novel. Why does she continue to choose Hank, despite knowing that Robbie wants to be with her?
Jade refuses to commit to moving in with León Henriques several times when Gee is still in high school. Why does she refuse to share her responsibility over Gee with León? How might Gee have responded to a new man in Jade’s life? Would it have changed their relationship, and if so, how?
Noelle dislikes her mother and refuses to see the sacrifices Lacey May made for her and her sisters, yet she struggles to become a mother herself. How does Noelle’s behavior mirror her mother’s? How is it different? What, if anything, might have changed Noelle’s attitude toward her mother?
Noelle expresses a deeper understanding of racism after her marriage to Nelson, acknowledging that while the people from her past—like Lacey May—may show signs of progress and acceptance here and there, they will never address their own racism, nor will they allow their own comfort levels to be challenged. Why does she say she had to love Nelson to see? What does this statement say about Noelle’s opinion of her own views on racism?
Jade shows Nelson her shrine to Ray and he is surprised by it. Why? Why did Jade take the first one down, and how did this impact Nelson’s ability to grieve for Ray?
