Take Back the Block

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-11

Chapters 12-19

Chapters 20-27

Chapter 28-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Puzzles

Puzzles symbolize Wes’s desire to solve problems and his skill at doing so, and both of these aspects lie at the heart of his burgeoning identity as a community leader. As Wes explains, “Something about taking a broken picture and slowly clicking each piece into place, making it whole again, made me feel good” (21). Although there is a guaranteed way to solve puzzles, real-world problems can be difficult or even impossible to solve completely. As Wes’s real-life problems become more complex and harder to solve, the symbolism of puzzles starts to morph. For example, when Simmons offers to buy Kensington Oaks and several neighbors seem interested in selling, Wes coincidentally loses a piece of his superhero puzzle and realizes that he cannot flawlessly fix the picture. Although “missing pieces” cause hiccups in Wes’s problem-solving processes, he still tries to find solutions, demonstrating his faith and resilience.

Puzzles also symbolize Kensington Oaks and Wes’s community, because the main problem or “puzzle” that Wes feels he needs to solve is how to safeguard the well-being of his community. Wes thinks of the people who sell their houses and move away as “missing pieces” to the community of Kensington Oaks. At first, he believes that these “missing” pieces will prevent him from repairing the “puzzle” of his community. However, over time, he realizes that even though someone moves away physically, they can still remain a part of the community. This change of mindset allows Wes to hold onto hope and find new ways to solve the puzzle instead of giving up. Significantly, the instructions in Wes’s puzzle book state that “the picture [is] clearer when you [focus] on the outside view and then [concentrate] on the inner details” (53), and likewise, Wes keeps the “big picture” of the community in mind instead of focusing on small details that have gone awry. This approach allows him to develop better problem-solving skills and to help save Kensington Oaks.

The Fountain

The fountain in the Kensington Oaks neighborhood park symbolizes Wes’s home, as well as The Significance of Community and Cultural Heritage. Before Wes becomes aware of the fountain’s historical significance, it simply symbolizes his home and community, making him feel secure, protected, and joyful. For example, when Wes used to play hide-and-seek with his friends, he would run towards the fountain as a home base, and he felt safe once he reached it. Later, once Wes discovers that the present-day fountain is the same one that existed 75 years ago when Kensington Oaks was Pippin Village, the symbolism of the fountain expands in tandem with the meaning of “community” and “heritage.” Instead of only symbolizing Wes’s contemporary home, the fountain now represents the area’s historical legacy as a thriving, successful Black neighborhood. The fountain becomes a symbol of power and resilience because although the city erased Pippin’s history for decades, Wes has uncovered it and shared it anew. Furthermore, with Wes’s efforts, nobody can ever “erase” or destroy the fountain. The fountain also becomes a symbol of hope for the future because it provides the key Wes needs to get Kensington Oaks designated as a historic place and prevent the total demolition or remodeling of the entire neighborhood. The fountain therefore connects past, present, and future, through the concept of community.

New Shops and Restaurants

New shops, restaurants, and condos symbolize The Impact of Gentrification on Communities, which is complex, multifaceted, and not always immediately evident. When Wes and his friends are initially researching gentrification, Alyssa finds an article claiming that gentrification can be a good thing, and she asks Ms. Monica if this is true. Ms. Monica explains that, while gentrification may provide newer shops and restaurants, improved schools, additional jobs, and other such “benefits,” it’s usually not the original residents who benefit from these changes, because they have already been displaced. Similarly, when Kari is forced to move into a hotel after his building gets torn down, a new milkshake shop gets built where the building once stood. Wes and his other friends, not realizing the deeper significance, are initially delighted by the appearance of the new shop, but Kari does not benefit from this because he has already been forced to move away. The new shops and restaurants only show the “positive,” superficial side of gentrification (such as tasty foods or interesting new shops), and this shallow viewpoint does not delve into the cruel reality that lies underneath (such as displaced children and broken communities). This dynamic is connected to Wes’s difficulties in convincing his peers and neighbors that gentrification is a problem in the first place; some of them think the Simmons offer is good because they could make money by accepting it. Wes worries that if Simmons really does purchase all of Kensington Oaks, his street might turn into “a bunch of stores that let you build your own pizza, bake your own doughnuts, and blend your own organic fruit smoothies” (56). These establishments don’t seem so ominous or problematic unless one is aware of the neighborhoods that they have replaced, and such establishments usually don’t advertise what used to stand in their place before they moved in. Within the context of the novel, the new shops and restaurants symbolize the fact that gentrification is a sly, sneaky villain that gradually subsumes and transforms existing neighborhoods. As the novel demonstrates, this process can be even scarier more insidious when, as Wes discovers, half the battle is convincing people that it is a problem in the first place.