The story is told in two parts, the first from the Viewpoint of the mother, Mamie Johnson, and the second from the viewpoint of the son, Li'l Boy. Set in the deep South, it is a portrait of a family that will not allow poverty and tragedy to bring it down. Mamie, the matriarch of the family, is a strong-willed, articulate, black woman, who puts the welfare of her family above all else. As the story begins, her husband is dead and she and her elderly father must try to provide for eight children. From the beginning, Li'l Boy, a twin, seems to stand out above the others, possessing something...