[1] 8 years ago, Lafayette's brother Charlie was sent to a juvenile detention center, Rahway Home for Boys, for robbing a candy store.

Before Lafayette was born, Daddy died after saving a woman and her dog from drowning in a frozen pond in Central Park.

When Lafayette was a baby, they went to Bayamón, Puerto Rico, for their grandmother's funeral; Mama promised they would visit again, but Charlie never believed they would have enough money.

Early in the morning, Ty'ree wakes Lafayette from a dream about fighting a rainbow trout: Charlie is badly hurt and in police custody.

Woodson wrote this novel in two locations, Whidbey Island off the coast of Seattle, Washington and in Olivebridge, NY.

Her goal in writing the book was to create a work with no female characters and to explore what it's like to grow up poor.

"I also wanted to write about how hard it is to lose someone you love—in this case, both parents—and how that pain starts shaping itself into other things sometimes like anger and isolation.

Actor Dulé Hill, was given positive reviews for his narration due to his use of staccato, halting vocalizations which underlined the uncertainty of the characters.

"Hill's narrative style lends a necessary strength to this gritty story of survival in the face of enormous odds.

"[4] Publishers Weekly's review also called Hill's performance 'powerful' and commends him for his delivery, which adds resonance to Woodson's message of love and hope.