Piecing Me Together Character Analysis

Jade Butler

The protagonist of the novel. Jade is a high school junior who loves Spanish. She’s black and overweight and she lives in a part of Portland that’s historically black and low-income. However, unlike other kids… read analysis of Jade Butler

Sam

A white teen who begins attending St. Francis with Jade. Like Jade, Sam stands out at St. Francis because she buses in from Northeast Portland, a neighborhood that many at St. Francis think… read analysis of Sam

Maxine

Jade’s mentor in the Woman to Woman program. Maxine is a recent graduate from the local Portland State University and she attended St. Francis as a teen. Because of this, and because Maxine is… read analysis of Maxine

Mom

Jade’s mother. Mom had Jade when she was 16 and so she didn’t finish school or attend college. Because of this, it’s her dream to see Jade succeed academically, and she’s one of Jade’s… read analysis of Mom

Mrs. Parker

Jade’s guidance counselor at St. Francis. Mrs. Parker is an older white woman and she has a black son-in-law, so she sees herself as uniquely positioned to help black kids like Jade navigate St… read analysis of Mrs. Parker

E.J.

Jade’s uncle; E.J. is Mom’s much younger brother. Since E.J. is only 20, Jade feels as though he is more of a sibling than an uncle. E.J. is an aspiring deejay, but in… read analysis of E.J.

Lee Lee

Jade’s best friend in her North Portland neighborhood. Lee Lee is an aspiring poet and she attends Northside, the local high school. She and Jade see each other and they talk often when they’re… read analysis of Lee Lee

Dad

Jade’s dad. Jade sees that while her birth condemned Mom to a life of poverty, it helped give Dad the kick he needed to get his life together, albeit through questionable means: he began… read analysis of Dad

Mr. Flores

Jade and Sam’s Spanish teacher at St. Francis. Jade likes and looks up to Mr. Flores, as he seems kind and Spanish is Jade’s favorite subject. However, after Mr. Flores nominates Sam for the… read analysis of Mr. Flores

Mia

Maxine’s sister. Mia owns a gallery in Portland and she makes a point to show local and emerging artists, especially artists of color. She’s kind, generous, and interested in getting to know Jade on… read analysis of Mia

Mrs. Winters

Maxine, Mia, and Nathan’s mother and Mr. Winters’s wife. She’s very concerned about appearances and keeps an impeccable, expensive-looking home. Mrs. Winters also loves collecting art by black artists. She’s obviously… read analysis of Mrs. Winters

Sabrina

The founder and executive director of the Woman to Woman mentorship program. She’s tall and thin, with very dark skin, thin braids, and a high-pitched voice. Though Sabrina’s intentions are good, Jade finds her a… read analysis of Sabrina

Jon

Maxine’s ex-boyfriend and a friend of E.J.’s. He never appears in person in the novel, but both Maxine and E.J. talk about him. Given Jon’s connection to E.J., Jade can ascertain that Jon… read analysis of Jon

Natasha Ramsey

A 15-year-old black girl who lives across the river in Vancouver, Washington. Jade doesn’t know Natasha, but it still hits her hard when she learns that when police raided a house party, they beat Natasha… read analysis of Natasha Ramsey

Mrs. Baker

Lee Lee’s English teacher. Though Mrs. Baker teaches at a public high school with an awful reputation, Jade sees that Mrs. Baker is, in many ways, giving her students a more interesting and nuanced… read analysis of Mrs. Baker

Bailey

One of Maxine’s best friends. She wears her hair braided into thick cords and pinned into a bun. Bailey grills Maxine about Jon and she shows that she cares deeply for her friend and… read analysis of Bailey

Kennedy/Glamour Girl

One of the only other black students at St. Francis. Though Jade thought at first that this meant that she and Kennedy might be able to connect and be friends, she soon discovered that Kennedy’s… read analysis of Kennedy/Glamour Girl

Josiah

One of the only other black students at St. Francis. Josiah is nice and fun to be around when Jade tutors him one-on-one in Spanish, but he turns into an entirely different person when he’s… read analysis of Josiah

Gina

One of Woman to Woman’s board members. Gina is a short white woman with spiky black hair. A former painter herself, Gina speaks at length with Jade at the benefit event and she offers to… read analysis of Gina

Kira

One of Maxine’s best friends. She has straight, light brown hair. Along with Bailey, she tells Maxine that she deserves better than someone like Jon. Kira’s advice about college is helpful for… read analysis of Kira

Alan

E.J.’s best friend. He was murdered in a shootout sometime before the novel begins. The event was traumatizing for E.J.—Jade suggests that E.J.’s trauma and grief is what caused him to drop out… read analysis of Alan

Minor Characters

Mr. Franklin

Sam’s grandfather and her primary caregiver, and Mrs. Franklin’s husband. Though at first Mr. Franklin seems to Jade to be a typical unthinking white man, he is surprisingly sensitive and well-read on race issues. He’s one of the few white adults who says anything to Jade about Natasha Ramsey.

Mrs. Franklin

Sam’s elderly grandmother and Mr. Franklin’s wife. Mrs. Franklin suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and so she behaves erratically and unpredictably. Mrs. Franklin fears intruders, and if she doesn’t ignore Sam when Sam gets home from school in the afternoons, she spews racist rhetoric unprovoked.

Mr. Winters

Maxine, Mia, and Nathan’s father and Mrs. Winters’s husband. He’s a very successful real estate agent, so he raised his family in a big house in an expensive part of Portland. The house is filled with modern art by prominent African American artists.

Hannah

A white girl who, along with Jade, talks back to Ms. Weber one day at lunch. Because Hannah is white and because her parents give lots of money to St. Francis, Hannah doesn’t get in trouble but Jade does.

Andrea

Lee Lee’s cousin. Andrea is about the same age as Lee Lee and Jade, and the girls all spend much of their free time together.

Kobe

Lee Lee and Andrea’s cousin. Though Kobe doesn’t live with Andrea and Lee Lee, he spends much of his time at their house.

Nathan

Maxine’s brother and Abby’s husband. He’s kind to Jade and jokes with everyone, and he’s clearly a point of pride for Mrs. Winters.

Abby

Nathan’s wife. On the day that Jade joins the family for dinner, she announces that she’s pregnant.

Ms. Weber

A rude and racist lunch monitor who sends Jade to Mrs. Parker for punishment when both Jade and Hannah talk back to her during lunch one day.

Andrew

A kind, wealthy white man who buys Jade’s collage piece at the Woman to Woman gala and silent auction.

Rose

One of the only other black girls at St. Francis. Rose is nice, but she’s a year older than Jade, so they don’t talk much.

Frank

The kind and generous owner of a convenience store in Jade’s neighborhood.

Ms. Louise

The wealthy elderly lady whom Mom cares for.

Jasmine

One of Jade’s fellow mentees in the Woman to Woman program.