Bronx Masquerade Characters

Bronx Masquerade is a novel with nineteen (yes, you read that number right) different narrators. Yeah, that's a lot, but the one we hear from the most is Tyrone Bittings. Which leaves us with one q...

Mr. Ward plays a super important role in this book—after all, he's the English teacher who gets the idea for Open Mike Fridays (with some inspiration from his students) and then keeps the poetry...

When people look at Diondra, they see a basketball player. No, not because she's always wearing jerseys—the girl is six-feet tall. More than perhaps anybody else, her dad believes Diondra is dest...

Lupe is one of the sweetest kids in Mr. Ward's class, and she always has a kind word for everyone. She's also a bit of a dreamer—girl has a rich fantasy life. For instance, even though her father...

Janelle has so many things going for her: She's smart, she has great friends, and people like her. Unfortunately, all she can focus on some days is her weight. It's a real bummer:I mean, I am smart...

Devon might be good at basketball, but he's tired of people thinking that's all there is to him:Jump Shot. What kind of name is that? Not mine, but try telling that to the brothers at school. That'...

Sheila's story is probably one of the most controversial in the book. While all her other friends are well-received when they show off their true selves, Sheila gets flak from everyone when she tel...

Wesley is the student genius who first gives Mr. Ward the idea to start Open Mike Fridays:We spent a month reading poetry from the Harlem Renaissance in our English class. Then Mr. Ward—that's ou...

Chankara is determined not to end up like her older sister. So when Chankara's boyfriend gets a little fresh with her and gives her a smack on the cheek, this girl is not having it:We locked lips f...

Raul might come from a humble background, but he has a whole lot of confidence. Not only can this boy draw, he's convinced he's going to be the next great Latino artist:Anyway, it's good for [Mr. W...

Gloria walks through high school with a giant label hanging over her head that announces her teen-mom status. Maybe in another life she'd have her own reality show on MTV, but here and now, things...

Leslie moves to this high school in the Bronx when her mom dies. As if losing a parent isn't tough enough, Leslie has to leave all her friends and finish up high school in a place that seems totall...

Judianne is the one character that doesn't change much throughout the story. Sure, she opens up a little, but then she quickly withdraws once others start to see her weaknesses. Judianne isn't supe...

Pretty much everyone at her high school admires Tanisha, but that doesn't mean she likes the attention. No, they're not all drawn to her brain—people fawn over her because she has light skin and...

Sterling's nickname is "Preacher" because he's open about his faith, which makes him a bit of a standout. Sterling's not embarrassed to be a Christian even if it means that other people think he's...

People don't really like Amy. To be fair, she makes it kind of hard for them to: ever since Amy's mom left her family, she's had to toughen herself up:Two years ago I got sick at school and [my dad...

Steve is another one of Mr. Ward's students with big dreams. This kid is going to Broadway, and nothing's going to stop him. We like his style:The first time my folks set me down in front of a Broa...

People don't think much of Raynard. Heck, the other kids in Mr. Ward's class doubt he can even read. Maybe that's why he hasn't ever read at an Open Mike Friday.Of course that's not the case at all...

Porscha Johnson is a bit of a mystery. The kids in school think she's a bit "touched in the head" (26.4) because she beat up a girl last year. Never mind that the girl had been bullying her for nin...

Mai Tren's voice is the last one we hear in the book. Thing is, he isn't even in Mr. Ward's class. So what gives? Well, for starters, he's a new student who's having a whole lot of trouble fitting...