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Otis Brody
Lu is an African American boy on the Defenders who was born with albinism, which makes him feel insecure. Like Ghost, Lu is a sprinter, though they do not get along at first. Ghost thinks Lu is too cocky and Lu feels Ghost does not belong on the team. However, over time, Ghost and Lu become close friends. At the end of the novel, Lu steps up and defends Ghost when Brandon Simmons begins mocking him on race day.
Lu Quotes in Ghost
The Ghost quotes below are all either spoken by Lu or refer to Lu. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
And the coach kept saying stuff like, “Lu’s still the one to beat,” which was kinda pissing me off because . . . I don’t know. It just made me think about this kid Brandon at school, who always . . . ALWAYS picked on me. Not even just me, though. He picked on a lot of people, and didn’t nobody ever do nothing about it. They just said stupid stuff like, Can’t nobody beat him. Same kind of rah-rah this bowling-ball-head coach was kicking about this kid, Lu. It's just . . . ugh. I mean, he was fast, but honestly, he wasn’t that fast.
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Because he does not want to go home, Ghost spends his afternoon watching the Defenders’ track practice, even though he knows nothing about track. He gets annoyed when he sees Coach Brody give special praise to Lu, who Ghost thinks is too cocky. Although Ghost regularly gets mad throughout the novel because other people judge his appearance, he does the same thing to Lu in this moment. Even though Ghost has never met Lu before, he is already mad at him because his behavior reminds Ghost of Brandon Simmons, a bully at school. Additionally, this passage exposes Ghost’s hypocrisy as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam off
“Who you run for?” he asked. What? Who did I run for? What kind of question was that?
“I run for me. Who else?” I replied.
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This is a conversation between Coach Brody and Ghost after Ghost has an impromptu race against Lu. Ghost’s speed impresses Coach Brody and he wants to know which track team Ghost runs for. Coach Brody’s question implies that he thinks Ghost is too talented not to be a trained sprinter. Whether he realizes it or not, Coach Brody is giving Ghost high praise, As Ghost isn’t part of a team and doesn’t have any training: Coach Brody is only noticing Ghost’s raw talent. However, Ghost does not recognize the compliment because he can barely comprehend Coach Brody’s question. Because Ghost Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corr
Chapter 4 Quotes
Who is he? I thought. What gave him the right to just make fun of me for no reason? Like he was perfect. He’s the one God ain’t color in. He’s the one who looked weird.
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Here, Ghost is ranting in his head about his anger toward Lu. Although he does not say anything out loud, Ghost is making for of Lu because he is albino. Albinism is a non-threatening condition that occurs when someone does not have enough melanin in their body. Because of a lack of melanin, people with albinism have hair, skin, and eyes that are particularly light. Ghost will later learn that Lu is self-conscious about his albinism for the same reason that Ghost is self-conscious about being poor; that is, it is an aspect of himself that he cannot control, and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi ne
Chapter 7 Quotes
“I been around here before,” Patty said, skipping the hello. “I can’t remember when. But I know I been around here.”
“Me too,” Lu said. “Not really these parts, but my pops plays ball sometimes at the court down the street.”
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This quote comes from the scene where Coach Brody comes to pick Ghost up at his house in Glass Manor with Patty and Lu already in his car. Notably, Ghost is self-conscious about living in Glass Manor and, even though everyone already knows where he lives, he does not like the idea of Lu and Patina seeing his home. However, rather than alienating Ghost as others have done, Lu and Patina make an effort to indicate that they are familiar with Glass Manor and do not think it is different (or, at least, worse) than any other place. Whether or Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus e
Chapter 8 Quotes
“My dad’s in jail for trying to shoot me and my mother,” I blurted. And before anyone could say anything, I held my hands out for my utensils.
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This is a cathartic moment for Ghost during the rookie he shares with Coach Brody, Lu, Patty, and Sunny. Coach Brody asks everyone to share something about themselves and when Ghost hears his teammates share vulnerable moments in their lives, he decides to share what happened between him and his father for the first time. It is a huge turning point for Ghost’s character because he has been holding the secret inside of him since the night it happened. Ghost’s decision to share the truth with Coach Brody and his teammates is both a sign that he trusts them and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperior
And it felt good to feel like one of the teammates. Like I was there—really, really there—as me, but without as much scream inside.
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This quote describes how Ghost feels after the rookie dinner with his new teammates, Patty Sunny, and Lu. Before Coach Brody brought Ghost to the Defenders, he never felt like he was part of a team before. He considered himself a lone wolf, which resulted in a lot of selfish behavior. Although Ghost has some friends at school, he has already become closer to his track teammates in just a few days. Here, Ghost learns that having friends means creating relationships that are mutually fulfilling and beneficial, especially when they all share a single goal. As he grows closer to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae volupt
Chapter 10 Quotes
“Yeah,” Lu said from behind me. He put his hand on my shoulder. He runs, real, real, real fast,” he said, taunting Brandon. Lu Pulled me into him, grabbed me by the back on my neck. “It’s me and you,” he said, snapping me out of my Brandon Simmons nightmare state and back into focus.
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While lining up for his first race with the Defenders, Ghost sees Brandon Simmons also approaching the starting line. When Brandon starts taunting Ghost, Lu steps up to defend him. This is a moment where Lu and Ghost’s relationship definitely changes for the better. At first, Ghost did not like Lu because he thought Lu was too much like Brandon and was a bully. However, over time, Lu proved Ghost wrong, and here he stands up to Brandon, who continues to torment Ghost as Ghost’s biggest bully. Additionally, this passage explores the value of teamwork and friendship in Ghost’s life. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliqua
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Lu Character Timeline in Ghost
The timeline below shows where the character Lu appears in Ghost. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...giving his team a pep talk, one member of the team, who he addresses as Lu, raises his hand and asks the coach if he ran in the Olympics. Ghost notes...
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After Lu finishes his sprint, the coach tells Sunny to line up. Unlike Lu, Sunny runs slowly...
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As Ghost watches everyone fail to surpass Lu’s time, he starts to wonder if he could beat it. After everyone has sprinted once,...
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Chapter 4
...in the long runner category, Patina—who goes by Patty—in the medium-distance category, and Ghost and Lu in the short-distance, sprint category.
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During the break, Lu tries to pick a fight with Ghost. He does not understand why Ghost is trying...
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As Ghost lines up on the track, he is still angry about Lu’s trash talking. He hates that Lu thinks he is perfect, especially when he isn’t. In...
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On the second to last sprint of the day, Ghost feels himself closing in on Lu and thinks he might be able to beat him. However, just as he starts to...
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...fairly often. Ghost explains that he feels extra embarrassed because he was trying to teach Lu a lesson. Patty responds that he should ignore Lu; Lu just has a bad attitude...
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Chapter 5
...mother to put up that much money, and he thinks they will silence people like Lu when he shows up in them. For a while, Ghost is not sure where he...
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Chapter 6
...Sunny stayed with her the whole time. Everyone congratulates Sunny on a job well done. Lu also lightly compliments Ghost for not giving up, which Ghost appreciates. After practice, Coach Brody...
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Chapter 7
...on the horn. When Ghost goes outside, he sees Coach Brody has already picked up Lu and Patty. Patty and Lu both tell Ghost that they have been near his house...
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Chapter 8
Lu goes first. He says that he always wanted a brother but will never have one...
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...knows. However, unlike most adopted kids, Patty knows her birth mother and visits her regularly. Lu asks why Patty’s birth mother gave her up. Coach Brody chides him for asking an...
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Chapter 9
...shoes slow him down a bit. He dreams of running the 100-meter race but feels Lu will likely end up performing the event at the first meet. On Friday, Coach Brody...
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Chapter 10
Ghost’s family goes to sit in the stands, while he walks over to his team. Lu’s mother is there handing everyone orange slices, as is Coach Brody’s wife, who hands out...
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When it is time for their race, Ghost and Lu make their way to the starting line. There, Ghost spots Brandon Simmons, who runs for...
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