The story is about the murder of five black children, dubbed the ‘Finkelstein Five’, who are killed by a chainsaw welding white man who uses the laws concerning self-defence in the United States to get off his murder charge. The outrage at the news of his acquittal sparks a number of murders of white people by blacks, who do so to avenge the death of a certain member of the slain children. Emmanuel, a boy conscious of his ‘Blackness’ in public, eventually gangs up with some of his friends to do the same to avenge the death of the youngest member of the Finkelstein Five, but has second thoughts before going on with the killing. In the end, he is shot dead by the police arriving at the scene.

The main character’s experiences of identity are suggested to be synonymous with the everyday life of African Americans. He is conscious of how ‘black’ he appears in public and creates a ‘Blackness scale’ as a result, with the aim of keeping it as low as possible when in public. He believes that he is at a disadvantage in society with the colour of his skin, and that people of other ethnicities use stereotypes to judge him and make accusations at him. However, he seems aware that he may never be able to hide his blackness completely, and so does not attempt to change the minds of people who see him this way, instead trying to make himself less ‘black’. He tries to get rid of clothes that are associated with black people, and instead purchases smart, formal wear that he deems to be ‘white’ enough. When the murders of white people start, ‘The Namers’ as they are dubbed by the press are caught wearing similar garments, indicating that they have similar experiences to Emmanuel and his friend Boogie.

The societal and cultural values and attitudes challenged in this story are parallel to the idea of pressure being placed on black people until they can no longer take it lying down. The story mentions stereotypes associated with black people, such as baggy jeans, gangs, shoplifting and a tendency to be violent, as well as the ways Emmanuel uses them to reduce the score of his Blackness scale. The story seems to suggest that repeatedly making black people feel that they do these things will eventually drive them to act. One of the main ideas of the story seems to be that black people are tired of being seen as lesser beings and do not want to take the abuse any more.