White Smoke

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction, substance use, racism, graphic violence, sexual violence, and mental illness. 

Maplewood is a neighborhood with secrets and strife that have permanently affected its residents’ lives. Harsh convictions, unfair treatment, and untruthful messaging play a role in the complex history of the area and still continually impact its families, including members of the younger generations. As a teen who recently relocated to Maplewood, Marigold begins to see the community’s collective memory and the impacts of trauma across generations.

Yusef and Erika have fond memories of community gatherings at the beach near the river, and they share these recollections with Marigold. Family gatherings are difficult now, however, because of the Sterling Laws. Passed under the governorship of Mr. Sterling’s brother, the Sterling Laws called for harsh penalties for drug possession and resulted in the imprisonment of many people in Maplewood including Yusef’s father in “Big Ville.” Erika’s family members are also in this for-profit prison; she lives with her grandmother, the only remaining relative unaffected by these laws. The prison sentences remain in place even after the laws loosened. The loss of family members to these laws is a painful chapter in the community’s memory and impacts Yusef’s and Erika’s generation.