The Seventh Most Important Thing

The Seventh Most Important Thing begins in November of 1963 in Washington D.C. on a day where “everything felt metallic” (1). For reasons undisclosed at this time, Arthur Owens (age 13), who has never been a violent kid, throws a brick at Mr. James Hampton, who’s known as the “junk man” because he pushes a rusted shopping cart around the neighborhood to collect trash. Arthur aims for Mr. Hampton’s head but hits his shoulder.

A truck driver for a local newspaper finds the injured Mr. Hampton and takes him to the hospital. There, reporters interview Mr. Hampton, who says the brick incident was “an act of God” (2). Meanwhile, Arthur goes to juvenile prison (juvie), and spends three weeks there wondering why he threw the brick.

Arthur goes to court for a sentencing hearing. Judge Philip Warner presides over the hearing. He doesn’t seem like “a listening sort of man” (3), which doesn’t give Arthur much hope.

Arthur isn’t a very big kid, and he’s wearing the ill-fitting suit he wore to his dad’s funeral. When the judge calls him to the bench, he hears surprised whispers from the

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