Fighting Words

Fighting Words is a 2019 novel for young adults by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. After escaping an abusive and neglectful past, Della and her older sister, Suki, lean on one another to navigate their lingering trauma. Della has always depended on Suki to protect her, but as they settle into life in their new foster home, Della learns the extent of Suki’s trauma and experience with abuse. In the aftermath of Suki’s suicide attempt, Della finds her strength, deconstructs the stigma of abuse, and learn the true power of sisterhood. Fighting Words is a 2021 Newberry Honor Award recipient. This study guide uses the 2021 Dial Books paperback edition.

Content Warning: This text contains graphic depictions of child sexual abuse, neglect, drug addiction, suicidal ideation, and self-harm.

Plot Summary

Delicious “Della” Roberts and her sister, Suki, have grown up with an unstable home life. Because of this, Suki assumes most of the caregiving responsibilities for Della. Della has always looked to Suki for care and protection: five years previously, their mother blew up a hotel room while cooking meth and was arrested and incarcerated. Suki and Della moved in with their mother’s boyfriend, Clifton; they remained until Clifton sexually assaulted Della, after which they fled.

Della’s story opens in their new home, with their foster mother, Francine. For the first time, Suki and Della do not have to fend entirely for themselves. While Della gets new clothing and school supplies for the first time in her life, she still relies heavily on Suki. This is especially true as Clifton’s trial draws near, and Della prepares to give filmed testimony of the night he attacked her.

Suki gets a job at the local supermarket, Food City, and brings Della along with her. While there, Della befriends both the night manager, Tony, and the deli manager, Maybelline. Suki puts her job in jeopardy when her former best friend, Teena, arrives at the store to check on Suki and Della. Suki resents Teena and her mother for calling the police the night Della and Suki fled Clifton’s house, and for learning Suki’s secret. Della is thrilled to see Teena, but Suki nearly gets fired when she yells at Teena and pushes her to the ground. As Suki drives them home, Della asks Suki why she is so angry with Teena, but Suki will only say that Teena looks at her differently now.

Della struggles in school and with a classmate, Trevor, who antagonizes her and the other girls in class. Della’s teacher, Ms. Davonte, often blames Della for responding to Trevor’s behavior. Della, who swears in class and fights back against Trevor, feels that Ms. Davonte misunderstands her and doesn’t listen. Despite all this, Della also experiences new opportunities, like attending after-school care at the local YMCA. She befriends another girl in class, Nevaeh, who does not judge her for her past or her mother’s incarcerated status.

As Della settles into her new life, Suki’s mental health declines. She grows thinner and more withdrawn, and she wakes up each night screaming from nightmares. Francine tries to intervene, telling their caseworker repeatedly that both Della and Suki need mental health evaluations and counseling. Suki’s symptoms worsen after she goes with Della when Della gives her video testimony for Clifton’s trial. That night, Della asks Francine how much prison time she thinks Clifton will get; Francine says only a few years because there is only one photo and Clifton only assaulted Della. Della notices how upset Suki becomes when she hears this.

Della details the story of what happened the night they escaped Clifton’s house: Della was home alone on a Thursday night while Suki and Teena went to the movies, promising to be home by nine. Clifton, who worked as a long-haul truck driver and usually came home Friday nights, arrived at the house unexpectedly. When Clifton saw Della, alone, he assaulted her, telling her that she and Suki owed him for living at his house. As Della screamed, Suki arrived home and took a photo of the attack. She quickly sent it to Teena before Clifton smashed her phone. Della and Suki ran to Teena’s house, where Teena’s mother called the police against Suki’s wishes.

One night, Della wakes up and sees that Suki is missing from their room. She goes to the kitchen, where she finds Suki with a large knife. As Della watches her sister, she realizes that Suki’s anguish is a result of years of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Clifton. Before Della can speak, Suki plunges the knife into her own wrist.

Suki survives this suicide attempt and spends a few weeks in a mental health facility receiving treatment. In the aftermath, people show them that they are no longer solely responsible for themselves. Suki and Teena mend their friendship as Suki admits her feelings of shame and self-blame. Francine remains a safe and supportive adult in their life.

Della begins therapy, where she learns healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with her trauma. Della feels immense guilt over Suki’s suicide attempt, blaming herself for the fact that Suki had to do so much to care for her when she was still a child herself. Through therapy, Della learns that she is not to blame for Suki’s suicide attempt, nor are she and Suki to blame for what happened to them.

Therapy changes Della’s outlook on life and her ability to handle difficult situations. Della learns the concept of consent and brings this into her classroom situation with Trevor. She tells the other girls in class that Trevor is not allowed to touch them without their permission. When Trevor pinches her in class, Della stands up to him and inspires the other girls in class to do so as well. Finally, Ms. Davonte confronts the unsafe classroom environment and Trevor is suspended. Della also begins to envision her desires for her future.

When Suki comes home from the mental health facility, she explains that she can only promise to try and do her best to never hurt herself again. Della pushes Suki to testify against Clifton in court, and Suki refuses, stating that it would hinder her mental progress. Della decides that she will testify on their behalf, in person, instead. Suki protests at first, but Della reminds her that their stories are intertwined and that what happened to Suki affected Della’s life, too.

Suki shows Della that she will work hard to continue healing by getting a tattoo of a semi-colon on her wrist, a symbol that even though she experienced extreme trauma, her story is not over yet. This inspires Della to seek out a symbol of her own and she decides on an ampersand, a symbol that represents the expectations of things to come. She convinces Francine to let her get the tattoo, and Suki gets a matching one, symbolizing that their stories, while different, will forever be entwined.