What the Fireflies Knew

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism, death as a result of substance abuse, domestic abuse, and sexual assault.

Kenyatta, also known as “KB,” is 10 when she discovers her father’s body in her family home in Detroit. Kenyatta initially keeps calm and quietly moves through the house, just as her mother, Jacquee, taught her. She becomes emotional when her mother loses her cool; the depth of her mother’s emotions surprises her. She overhears the first responders calling her father a disrespectful name for people with substance abuse disorders. She stands by as police officers ransack her house looking for drugs.

In the aftermath of the father’s death, Jacquee and her two daughters lose their home and move into a hotel. In June, Jacquee drives KB and Nia, Kenyatta’s older sister, to their grandfather’s house in Lansing, Michigan. Nia is sullen during the drive. Although the sisters used to be close, Nia is silent, cruel, or combative with Jacquee. KB reads Anne of Green Gables, her favorite book. She identifies with Anne because of their difficult circumstances. She can’t understand all the words, and Anne’s diction is much more standardized English than hers.