48 pages • 1 hour read
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola YoonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
It is a hot summer day in New York City when the story’s narrator, Tammi, is headed to her first day as an intern at the Apollo. As someone who aspires to work in the entertainment industry, Tammi knows that having a summer gig at the most famous Black theater in the city will benefit her future career. When she shows up at the theater, Tammi is shocked to run into Kareem, her neighbor and ex-boyfriend. Tammi discovers from her supervisor that there was a clerical mistake on their end and there is only one internship position available at the theater. The kids are in the middle of trying to get more information about who will take the intern position when the power goes out abruptly. Outside, crowds are pouring into the street, indicating that something is wrong. After discovering that there has been a city-wide black out, Tammi and Kareem are asked to leave the theater so the staff can figure out next steps.
With his own phone dead, Kareem uses Tammi’s phone to call his friend Twig, whose party he is supposed to DJ later that night. With no phone for navigation or communication and little cash between them to pay for a cab, Kareem and Tammi begin a trek through Manhattan to Brooklyn.
The first story in the novel provides introductory and background information about the story’s main characters, as well as introduce readers to its unique narrative framework.
“The Long Walk: Act 1,” which is told from the perspective of its protagonist Tammi, invites readers into the narrator’s world. The first-person narration achieves a deeper sense of interiority, better describing Tammi’s personality and life. That the beginning of the story includes Tammi’s musings about not only her current life but her vision for her future helps readers to recognize that Tammi is an ambitious and motivated young woman, determined to make her dreams of making it big in entertainment come true.
Tammi’s insistence on turning over a new leaf and creating a new and improved life and version of herself functions to suggest that she has overcome some type of hardship in recent times—one from which she is hoping to run away when she leaves for college. Narratively, this suggestion serves the purpose of foreshadowing, as it encourages readers to consider what it is that Tammi could be running away from. The answer to this question comes in the form of Kareem, who is introduced quickly thereafter. Though Tammi alludes to the two of them undergoing a recent breakup, the evasion of any concrete details about the reasoning behind their separation further entices readers. Moreover, the fact that little is said about Kareem—his personality, life, or history with Tammi—despite the significant role he has played in her life thus far suggests that more will be revealed as the story continues.
Similarly, the news that there is in fact only one internship position available at the Apollo theater draws readers deeper into the story, encouraging them to begin to draw conclusions about what may happen based on the information they have gathered so far. Further adding to the suspense is the initiation of the blackout. Written in language that suggests that the scene is one of shock and panic, the story further entices the reader by the events taking place, leaving the reader to wonder how the protagonists will navigate a city-wide blackout amid their personal struggles. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Kareem’s phone is nearly dead and neither he nor Tammi have enough money to take a cab back to Brooklyn. Forced to stick together to make it home before dark, the narrative demonstrates that more about Tammi and Kareem, both individually and in relation to one another, will be revealed. The first act’s conclusion also introduces Twig, Kareem’s friend who is throwing a block party he will DJ for in the evening. Tammi’s description of Twig in her narration suggests that he is a character that readers should remember, as both Twig and his block party will feature heavily throughout the rest of the novel. In addition, the mention of Tammi’s little brother, Tremaine, serves a similar purpose, as Tremaine features heavily in the following story.
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