Questions for Discussion

1. When Stevie asks what it means when people say "coffee will make you black," her mother explains "The old folks in the South used to tell that to children so they wouldn't want to drink coffee. The last thing anybody wanted to be was black." What other significance might the title have besides this?

2. Stevie's relationships with Evelyn and Mother Dickens are the central focus of the portrait April Sinclair paints of the Stevenson family. In what situations does Stevie look to Evelyn for answers or advice? When does she seek out Mother Dickens instead? What does Evelyn's fussing about Stevie sitting in her grandmother's lap say about her relationship with her own mother?

3. Mother Dickens says of her own parents, "Mama says the reason she married Daddy was cause she was looking out for her children. She says it was almost unheard of for a colored man to marry a woman darker than himself." Stevie later describes her classmate Linda as "too dark to be considered pretty by a lot of people." What do discussions about skin tone in the book say about its importance in the black community and beyond? What does it mean to Stevie?

4. The novel opens with 11-year-old Stevie asking, "Mama, are you a virgin?" and Stevie's evolving sexuality is one of the book's major themes. What influence does Stevie's family have on the development of her sexuality? Do her friends have more or less influence? Do you think it's any different for teens today?

5. Stevie fondly recalls her best friendship with Terri and how she misses it, even after she and Carla become friends. The anticipated reunion of Stevie and Terri proves to be one of the most revealing glimpses of the social structure within the African American community. How does the decline of the girls' friendship reflect the changing values in the community?

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