82 pages • 2 hours read
Jason ReynoldsWhen I Was the Greatest
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary
Noodles and Ali go through John’s car trunk to pick out outfits. John still has the same cherry-red Plymouth he used to take Doris out on dates—Ali knows because she still talks about it. The clothes are a bounty of high-end clothing unlike anything the boys have seen before. Noodles gets a shirt for himself, while Ali picks out shirts for himself and Needles. They pair them with jeans and new sneakers, Jordan sneakers for Ali and boots for Needles; all that is left for Noodles is a pair of undersized Nike shoes. Noodles is upset but still takes them. When John searches the car’s interior for a hat, Ali notices a blanket and a toothbrush and worries his father is living in his car. Ali pities him but stays silent to avoid causing embarrassment. Ali also glimpses a gun in the car. Shaken to see his father with a gun, he tells himself the weapon is to keep John safe while sleeping in the car. Again, he promises to text John after arriving at the party and when returning home.
The following day Jazz braids Ali’s hair in the apartment. Jazz has a strong grip, so the experience is painful for Ali. Still, Ali loves when she braids his hair; they talk and joke while she works. In a rare moment of openness, Jazz admits to liking Malloy’s grandson Joe and makes Ali pinky swear to secrecy. He is relieved that Jazz likes a “good one” (95) like Joe, who is clean-cut and well-mannered and takes pride in being a good example to her. Jazz asks if Ali thinks their parents will get back together. Ali reassures her that whether they do or not, their parents love them.
After finishing the braids, they both fall into a long mid-afternoon nap. Doris comes home and changes for her second job, which wakes Ali. She kisses Jazz on her way out and reminds him to take care of her.
Chapter 8 Summary
Ali showers before the party and, to cope with his anxiety, he shadowboxes with the water. He is nervous for several reasons: He knows he should not be attending the party, he feels guilty about leaving his sister home alone, and he is intimidated by the thought of approaching older girls at the party.
He recalls learning to throw punches in the shower to cope with anxiety when Jazz was a baby and Doris started the second job. Jazz cried when he held her, making him worry he was failing as a brother. Even though their neighbor Ms. Brenda babysat them, the then six- or seven-year-old Ali felt he was not doing a good job at taking care of his sister. Doris noticed he was struggling and found him someone to talk to. There, he learned that he was being too self-critical and how to fight back those fears, at least figuratively, by boxing in the shower.
Ali finishes his shower and finds Jazz has made a spaghetti dinner she calls “Spaghetto” (102). She and Ali sit down to eat, and she sets a third plate that Noodles shows up to hungrily devour. She asks about food for Needles, but Noodles dismisses her. Again, Ali wonders why Noodles treats his brother as though he does not love him. Noodles’s response angers Jazz, who refuses to give him soda or juice and offers him tap water instead. Irritated, he makes a terse exit, leaving his plate and crumbs on the floor. Ali cleans up the mess and asks Jazz to fix a plate for him to take for Needles later.
Chapter 9 Summary
That night, Ali dresses for the party and checks pockets for his keys, phone, and money. He collects Needles’s Spaghetto and, careful to conceal his outfit, cracks the door to check in on Jazz on his way out. He tells her he is taking the food next door, but she suspects he is lying. He begins to feel guilty. He texts his mother that he is going next door but will be back before curfew, then goes upstairs to get Ms. Brenda to sit with Jazz until Doris returns home.
Ali meets Noodles on the stoop, and while they wait for Needles, Noodles shows Ali a sketch he made of Tasha that he intends to gift her at the party. Needles arrives looking well dressed and confident, with his knitting supplies in tow. Ali gives him the Spaghetto, which he devours as they walk to the party a block away. These blocks are noticeably different, so much so that Ali calls it the “Cosby” side (111). This side of Decatur and Lewis is quiet; there are flowers and trees, each house is well lit, and the streets are free of trash. This feels disparate to Ali’s rougher, noisier, garbage-strewn neighborhood, with its many edgy characters.
They are unsure they are in the right place, but when an attractive woman arrives and gains entry, the loud music blasting from inside confirms they are. Ali texts his father as promised before knocking on the door. Tasha is amazed to see them, especially Needles. She and Noodles share a flirty moment, and then she makes them promise to keep a low profile.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Chapter 7 is saturated with symbols related to the theme of family. First, John takes Ali and Noodles “shopping” in his trunk. Although John is not present in Ali’s life every day, he has this moment to bond with and prepare his son for a special occasion. Jazz braiding Ali’s hair is another important symbol of love. In Black culture, hair braiding is a ritual of trust and intimacy usually done by mothers and grandmothers. Jazz taking her mother’s place in this role is a reminder of the many gaps these children have had to fill themselves because, for whatever reasons, their parents are absent. This does not dull the intimacy of the braiding experience, and the siblings sink into a relaxed comfort that encourages Jazz to be open with her brother. They seal their secrecy pact with a pinky swear, which is an ironically childish gesture for young people who live in a neighborhood that has exposed them to hardships beyond their years.
There is a cost when such young people must carry the weight of very adult responsibilities. Through boxing, Ali finds a constructive outlet that eases his emotional anxiety and physical tension. This adds more clarity to his reasons for being hesitant to fight against opponents; for him, boxing is a tool for healing oneself, not for hurting others.
Jazz’s cooking also reiterates the family theme. Her Spaghetto is the kind of creative cooking that happens in many lower-income households. When Noodles asks what is in it, Jazz says, “whole bunch of love, fool” (103). What she does not say is that it is a meal made up of different odds and ends from leftovers. This “spaghetti gumbo” (103) reflects their family’s approach of caring for each other while making do; it also captures the sociocultural history of gumbo, a dish that takes portions insufficient for an individual helping and combines them into a meal that serves many.
When the boys get to the party, it is like stepping into another world despite still being on Decatur and Lewis. The descriptions of the streets and houses in Tasha’s area stand in stark contrast to those on the boys’ block and shows the effects that income disparities can have on the conditions of life, even on neighboring streets.
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