The Skin I’m In

by

Sharon Flake

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Skin I’m In makes teaching easy.

John-John McIntyre Character Analysis

John-John McIntyre is one of Maleeka’s classmates at McClenton and one of the kids who bullies her most frequently. A year prior to the novel’s events, John-John made up a song about Maleeka being so dark-skinned that he couldn’t see her, and many kids sang along with him. However, Maleeka also hints at the fact that John-John likely does this because of his own insecurities: she notes that John-John is very small for a seventh grader and that his skin is as dark as hers. When Maleeka finally gains the courage to ask him why he picks on her, he reveals that in second grade, Maleeka didn’t want to sit next to him and opted to sit up front next to Caleb Assam, who has lighter skin, instead (though Maleeka tells John-John that she only did this because she couldn’t see the blackboard). This anecdote reveals John-John’s low self-worth and his insecurity about his race, which seem to be what motivate John-John’s bullying. Toward the end of the book, however, Maleeka rescues John-John from a group of boys who are beating him up. Grateful for Maleeka’s support John-John is kind to her the next time he sees her at school.

John-John McIntyre Quotes in The Skin I’m In

The The Skin I’m In quotes below are all either spoken by John-John McIntyre or refer to John-John McIntyre. 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:
Bullying and Insecurity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

“Thank you,” she says, walking off. Then she stops stone still, like some bright idea has just come to her, turns around, and heads back my way. My skin starts to crawl before she even opens her mouth. “Maleeka, your skin is pretty. Like a blue-black sky after it’s rained and rained,” she says. Then she smiles and explains how that line comes from a favorite poem of hers. Next thing I know, she’s heading down the hall again like nothing much happened.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders (speaker), John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:

John-John McIntyre is the smallest seventh grader in the world. Even fifth graders can see over his head. Sometimes I have a hard time believing he and me are both thirteen. He’s my color, but since second grade he’s been teasing me about being too black. Last year, when I thought things couldn’t get no worse, he came up with this here song. Now, here this woman comes talking that black stuff. Stirring him up again.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders, John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 3-4
Explanation and Analysis:

It’s bad enough that I’m the darkest, worst-dressed thing in school. I’m also the tallest, skinniest thing you ever seen. And people like John-John remind me of it every chance they get. They don’t say nothing about the fact that I’m a math whiz, and can outdo ninth graders when it comes to figuring numbers. Or that I got a good memory and never forget one single, solitary thing I read. They only see what they see, and they don’t seem to like what they see much.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders, Charlese Jones, John-John McIntyre, Maleeka’s Mom
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 2-3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

At school, everybody’s staring at me. Even John-John’s doing a double-take. When I walk into class, all eyes is on me. Char’s the only one that’s got something negative to say.

“So your momma finally broke down and bought you some clothes. About time,” she says, as soon as we get to Miss Saunders’s class.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones (speaker), Miss Saunders, John-John McIntyre, Maleeka’s Mom
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“New clothes, huh?” he says, trying to be smart.

I stop walking and turn to him and ask real smart like, “Why you always picking on me?” I ain’t sure what’s come over me. I guess thinking about Akeelma makes me wonder why people treat others like they’re nothing.

“Chill, Maleeka,” John-John says, strutting down the hall alongside me. He gets quiet, and I hear his big sneakers squeaking every time they hit the floor.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones (speaker), John-John McIntyre (speaker), Maleeka’s Mom, Akeelma
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:

He says something stupid-crazy. Says it was back in second grade when I first moved to the Heights. I walked into class that first day with my new pink polka-dotted dress on and black patent leather shoes. The teacher told me to sit in the desk next to his. I said I didn’t want to. I wanted to sit in the one up front, next to Caleb.

“That half-white punk,” John-John says, knowing full well Caleb ain’t mixed.

Now my mouth’s hanging open. “I didn’t even know Caleb back then,” I say. “I wanted to sit up front, ‘cause I couldn’t see the board,” I explain. […]

“No matter,” he says. “You given me plenty of reasons not to like you since then. Thinking you super-smart. Acting like you too good for me.”

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Caleb Assam (speaker), John-John McIntyre (speaker), Charlese Jones
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

At midnight, if you have eyes to see
There’s beauty and there’s majesty.

Char don’t understand what’s going on with me. She looks at me and calls me stupid, the way I’m smiling to myself.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones, John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 127
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Skin I’m In LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Skin I’m In PDF

John-John McIntyre Quotes in The Skin I’m In

The The Skin I’m In quotes below are all either spoken by John-John McIntyre or refer to John-John McIntyre. 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:
Bullying and Insecurity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

“Thank you,” she says, walking off. Then she stops stone still, like some bright idea has just come to her, turns around, and heads back my way. My skin starts to crawl before she even opens her mouth. “Maleeka, your skin is pretty. Like a blue-black sky after it’s rained and rained,” she says. Then she smiles and explains how that line comes from a favorite poem of hers. Next thing I know, she’s heading down the hall again like nothing much happened.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders (speaker), John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:

John-John McIntyre is the smallest seventh grader in the world. Even fifth graders can see over his head. Sometimes I have a hard time believing he and me are both thirteen. He’s my color, but since second grade he’s been teasing me about being too black. Last year, when I thought things couldn’t get no worse, he came up with this here song. Now, here this woman comes talking that black stuff. Stirring him up again.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders, John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 3-4
Explanation and Analysis:

It’s bad enough that I’m the darkest, worst-dressed thing in school. I’m also the tallest, skinniest thing you ever seen. And people like John-John remind me of it every chance they get. They don’t say nothing about the fact that I’m a math whiz, and can outdo ninth graders when it comes to figuring numbers. Or that I got a good memory and never forget one single, solitary thing I read. They only see what they see, and they don’t seem to like what they see much.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Miss Saunders, Charlese Jones, John-John McIntyre, Maleeka’s Mom
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 2-3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

At school, everybody’s staring at me. Even John-John’s doing a double-take. When I walk into class, all eyes is on me. Char’s the only one that’s got something negative to say.

“So your momma finally broke down and bought you some clothes. About time,” she says, as soon as we get to Miss Saunders’s class.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones (speaker), Miss Saunders, John-John McIntyre, Maleeka’s Mom
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 22
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

“New clothes, huh?” he says, trying to be smart.

I stop walking and turn to him and ask real smart like, “Why you always picking on me?” I ain’t sure what’s come over me. I guess thinking about Akeelma makes me wonder why people treat others like they’re nothing.

“Chill, Maleeka,” John-John says, strutting down the hall alongside me. He gets quiet, and I hear his big sneakers squeaking every time they hit the floor.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones (speaker), John-John McIntyre (speaker), Maleeka’s Mom, Akeelma
Related Symbols: Clothes
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:

He says something stupid-crazy. Says it was back in second grade when I first moved to the Heights. I walked into class that first day with my new pink polka-dotted dress on and black patent leather shoes. The teacher told me to sit in the desk next to his. I said I didn’t want to. I wanted to sit in the one up front, next to Caleb.

“That half-white punk,” John-John says, knowing full well Caleb ain’t mixed.

Now my mouth’s hanging open. “I didn’t even know Caleb back then,” I say. “I wanted to sit up front, ‘cause I couldn’t see the board,” I explain. […]

“No matter,” he says. “You given me plenty of reasons not to like you since then. Thinking you super-smart. Acting like you too good for me.”

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Caleb Assam (speaker), John-John McIntyre (speaker), Charlese Jones
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

At midnight, if you have eyes to see
There’s beauty and there’s majesty.

Char don’t understand what’s going on with me. She looks at me and calls me stupid, the way I’m smiling to myself.

Related Characters: Maleeka Madison (speaker), Charlese Jones, John-John McIntyre
Page Number: 127
Explanation and Analysis: