The Crossover

by

Kwame Alexander

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Crossover makes teaching easy.

Josh Character Analysis

Josh is the twelve-year-old protagonist of the novel. He's nearly six feet tall and has a twin, JB. Both are skilled basketball players. Though Josh loves JB and being a twin, he also craves individuality. At the beginning of the novel he achieves this by wearing his hair in locks and reminding the reader several times that he's the only player on the team who can dunk. His love of English and language shines through in his narration, as he often uses vocabulary words from his English homework and some of the novel's poems read like music. Things begin to go downhill for Josh when he loses a bet to JB and JB accidentally cuts off five of Josh's locks instead of one. With this one identity marker gone, Josh feels unmoored and even more importantly, less forgiving towards JB as JB embarks on a romance with a girl Josh calls Miss Sweet Tea. At the same time, Josh starts to notice that Dad isn't in good health. Josh grows progressively angrier as JB spends more and more time with Miss Sweet Tea, and this culminates in Josh deciding to act alone during a game. However, Josh's attempt is unsuccessful and his pass to JB is so hard and violent, he makes JB's nose bleed. During Josh's weeks of forced solitude after this, he remains angry and unmoored, and he becomes progressively more worried about Dad's health. When Dad finally ends up in the hospital, Josh's anger hits a peak: he believes that Dad is keeping him from playing in the championship game. Though Dad is still in the hospital when the championship game rolls around, Josh chooses to take Dad's permission to play in the game and isn't around when Dad dies. Following Dad's death, JB gives Josh Dad's championship ring, which Dad always told the boys they could wear when they became "Da Man," which was his nickname. Though this suggests that Josh becomes “Da Man” after Dad's death, Josh's discomfort with receiving the ring speaks to his new understanding of Dad as a person who didn't properly care for his health.

Josh Quotes in The Crossover

The The Crossover quotes below are all either spoken by Josh or refer to Josh. 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:
Inheritance and Genetics Theme Icon
).
Warm-Up Quotes

But, as I got older
and started getting game,
the name took on a new meaning.
And even though I wasn't into
all that jazz,
every time I'd score,
rebound,
or steal a ball,
Dad would jump up
smiling and screamin',
That's my boy out there.
Keep it funky, Filthy!

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 8-9
Explanation and Analysis:

1. ever since I watched
the clip of Dad
posterizing
that seven-foot Croatian center
on ESPN's Best Dunks Ever;
soaring through the air—his
long twisted hair like wings
carrying him
high above
the rim—I knew
one day
I'd need
my own wings
to fly.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 14-15
Explanation and Analysis:
First Quarter Quotes

To get ready for the season, I went
to three summer camps. JB only went to
one. Said he didn't want to miss Bible school.

What does he think, I'm stupid? Ever since
Kim Bazemore kissed him in Sunday school,
he's been acting all religious,

thinking less and less about
basketball, and more and more about
GIRLS.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB
Page Number: 23
Explanation and Analysis:

That boy is special, and it doesn't hurt
that Chuck "Da Man" Bell is his father.
And mine, too.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis:

And while Dad is telling us another story
for the hundredth time, Mom removes the salt
from the table and JB goes to the buffet.
He brings back three packages
of duck sauce and a cup of wonton soup
and hands them all to me.
Dad pauses, and Mom looks at JB.
That was random, she says.
What, isn't that what you wanted, Filthy? JB asks.
And even though I never opened my mouth,
I say, Thanks,
because
it is.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Mom (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 42
Explanation and Analysis:

And so each time
I count the locks
of hair
beneath my pillow
I end up with thirty-seven
plus one tear,
which never
adds up.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker)
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 43
Explanation and Analysis:

As in: I wonder why my dad
never had surgery
on his patellar tendinitis.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:

and even though I don't plan it,
I let him win
and get ready to practice
harder.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Vondie, Coach
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:

As in: Hypertension
can affect all types of people,
but you have a higher risk
if someone in your family
has had the disease.

As in: I think
my grandfather
died of hypertension?

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, Grandfather/Dad's Dad
Page Number: 76
Explanation and Analysis:

I'm not paying attention
to anything he's saying
or to the dummy

because
I'm watching Jordan pass notes
to Miss Sweet Tea. And I
wonder what's in the notes.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
Second Quarter Quotes

On the way home
Dad asks if we should stop
at Pollard's.
I tell him I'm not hungry,
plus I have a lot of homework,
even though
I skipped lunch today
and finished my homework
during halftime.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, Mom
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

Identical twins
are no different
from everyone else,
except we look and
sometimes sound
exactly alike.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:

JB comes running out of the bathroom.
What'd she say, Josh? Come on, tell me.

She said she likes me a lot, I tell him.
You mean she likes me a lot? he asks.

Yeah...
that's what I meant.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:

Ever seen an eagle soar?
So high, so fly.
Me and my wings are--
and that's when I remember:
MY. WINGS. ARE. GONE.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker)
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 131
Explanation and Analysis:
Third Quarter Quotes

You're twins, not the same person.
But that doesn't mean he has to stop loving me.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Mom (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:

I prefer to be called Josh, Dad.
Not Filthy.

Oh, really, Filthy? he laughs.
I'm serious, Dad--please don't call me
that name anymore.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad (speaker)
Page Number: 166
Explanation and Analysis:

Like heirloom.
As in: Dad treats his championship ring
like some kind of family heirloom
that we can't wear
until one of us becomes Da Man.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: The Championship Ring
Page Number: 183
Explanation and Analysis:

JB and I look out
the window
at the exact moment
we pass by the mall
and I know exactly
what JB wants.
Dad, can we stop
at that sneaker store
in the mall?
Yeah, Dad, can we? JB echoes.
And the word we
never sounded
sweeter.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:
Fourth Quarter Quotes

As in: Dad's in a coma
because of a myocardial infarction,
which is the same thing
my grandfather died of.
So what does that mean for me
and JB?

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB, Grandfather/Dad's Dad
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:

Because the only thing that matters is swish.
Because our backboard is splintered.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB, Mom
Related Symbols: The Backboard
Page Number: 204
Explanation and Analysis:
Overtime Quotes

On the forty-ninth shot,
I am only slightly aware
that I am moments from fifty.
The only thing that really matters
is that out here
in the driveway
shooting free throws
I feel closer to Dad.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:

You earned it, Filthy, he says,
sliding the ring on my finger.
My heart leaps
into my throat.

Dad's championship ring.
Between the bouncing
and sobbing, I whisper, Why?

I guess you Da Man now, Filthy, JB says.

And for the first time in my life
I don't want to be.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: The Championship Ring
Page Number: 236
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Crossover LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Crossover PDF

Josh Quotes in The Crossover

The The Crossover quotes below are all either spoken by Josh or refer to Josh. 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:
Inheritance and Genetics Theme Icon
).
Warm-Up Quotes

But, as I got older
and started getting game,
the name took on a new meaning.
And even though I wasn't into
all that jazz,
every time I'd score,
rebound,
or steal a ball,
Dad would jump up
smiling and screamin',
That's my boy out there.
Keep it funky, Filthy!

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 8-9
Explanation and Analysis:

1. ever since I watched
the clip of Dad
posterizing
that seven-foot Croatian center
on ESPN's Best Dunks Ever;
soaring through the air—his
long twisted hair like wings
carrying him
high above
the rim—I knew
one day
I'd need
my own wings
to fly.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 14-15
Explanation and Analysis:
First Quarter Quotes

To get ready for the season, I went
to three summer camps. JB only went to
one. Said he didn't want to miss Bible school.

What does he think, I'm stupid? Ever since
Kim Bazemore kissed him in Sunday school,
he's been acting all religious,

thinking less and less about
basketball, and more and more about
GIRLS.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB
Page Number: 23
Explanation and Analysis:

That boy is special, and it doesn't hurt
that Chuck "Da Man" Bell is his father.
And mine, too.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis:

And while Dad is telling us another story
for the hundredth time, Mom removes the salt
from the table and JB goes to the buffet.
He brings back three packages
of duck sauce and a cup of wonton soup
and hands them all to me.
Dad pauses, and Mom looks at JB.
That was random, she says.
What, isn't that what you wanted, Filthy? JB asks.
And even though I never opened my mouth,
I say, Thanks,
because
it is.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Mom (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 42
Explanation and Analysis:

And so each time
I count the locks
of hair
beneath my pillow
I end up with thirty-seven
plus one tear,
which never
adds up.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker)
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 43
Explanation and Analysis:

As in: I wonder why my dad
never had surgery
on his patellar tendinitis.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 49
Explanation and Analysis:

and even though I don't plan it,
I let him win
and get ready to practice
harder.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Vondie, Coach
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:

As in: Hypertension
can affect all types of people,
but you have a higher risk
if someone in your family
has had the disease.

As in: I think
my grandfather
died of hypertension?

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, Grandfather/Dad's Dad
Page Number: 76
Explanation and Analysis:

I'm not paying attention
to anything he's saying
or to the dummy

because
I'm watching Jordan pass notes
to Miss Sweet Tea. And I
wonder what's in the notes.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
Second Quarter Quotes

On the way home
Dad asks if we should stop
at Pollard's.
I tell him I'm not hungry,
plus I have a lot of homework,
even though
I skipped lunch today
and finished my homework
during halftime.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, Mom
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

Identical twins
are no different
from everyone else,
except we look and
sometimes sound
exactly alike.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:

JB comes running out of the bathroom.
What'd she say, Josh? Come on, tell me.

She said she likes me a lot, I tell him.
You mean she likes me a lot? he asks.

Yeah...
that's what I meant.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:

Ever seen an eagle soar?
So high, so fly.
Me and my wings are--
and that's when I remember:
MY. WINGS. ARE. GONE.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker)
Related Symbols: Locks/Wings
Page Number: 131
Explanation and Analysis:
Third Quarter Quotes

You're twins, not the same person.
But that doesn't mean he has to stop loving me.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Mom (speaker), JB, Miss Sweet Tea/Alexis
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:

I prefer to be called Josh, Dad.
Not Filthy.

Oh, really, Filthy? he laughs.
I'm serious, Dad--please don't call me
that name anymore.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad (speaker)
Page Number: 166
Explanation and Analysis:

Like heirloom.
As in: Dad treats his championship ring
like some kind of family heirloom
that we can't wear
until one of us becomes Da Man.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: The Championship Ring
Page Number: 183
Explanation and Analysis:

JB and I look out
the window
at the exact moment
we pass by the mall
and I know exactly
what JB wants.
Dad, can we stop
at that sneaker store
in the mall?
Yeah, Dad, can we? JB echoes.
And the word we
never sounded
sweeter.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 189
Explanation and Analysis:
Fourth Quarter Quotes

As in: Dad's in a coma
because of a myocardial infarction,
which is the same thing
my grandfather died of.
So what does that mean for me
and JB?

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB, Grandfather/Dad's Dad
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:

Because the only thing that matters is swish.
Because our backboard is splintered.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad, JB, Mom
Related Symbols: The Backboard
Page Number: 204
Explanation and Analysis:
Overtime Quotes

On the forty-ninth shot,
I am only slightly aware
that I am moments from fifty.
The only thing that really matters
is that out here
in the driveway
shooting free throws
I feel closer to Dad.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), Dad
Page Number: 235
Explanation and Analysis:

You earned it, Filthy, he says,
sliding the ring on my finger.
My heart leaps
into my throat.

Dad's championship ring.
Between the bouncing
and sobbing, I whisper, Why?

I guess you Da Man now, Filthy, JB says.

And for the first time in my life
I don't want to be.

Related Characters: Josh (speaker), JB (speaker), Dad
Related Symbols: The Championship Ring
Page Number: 236
Explanation and Analysis: