Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Uhmma

While it may seem like Young Ju's more like Uhmma's mentor for a lot of the book, Uhmma's still the mom, and that means she gets to say and do mom things—like reminding Young Ju who taught her to swim waves (her father) and showing Young Ju how to forgive and let go of Apa. Sounds easy, right? Not. And in this way, Uhmma provides important guidance to Young Ju. She also shows Young Ju how to face mistakes and accept them as part of her personal history by acknowledging her own failures to her daughter.

Young Ju

No, Young Ju isn't a mini-Yoda… but she is a girl who knows her own mind. After all, she did call 9-1-1 on her abusive father. In fact, that's how Young Ju ends up becoming a guide/mentor to her mother, who needs a huge nudge in order to finally get the strength to leave Apa for good. Leaving an abuser is never easy, and it's made all the more daunting and difficult for Uhmma by the fact that she's also poor and doesn't have much English know-how.