American Street

Valerie Toussaint or Manman (a term for “mother” in Haitian Creole) is Fabiola’s mother. She and her sister were abused as children and tried to flee to Miami unsuccessfully. Years later, Marjorie and Valerie both made it to the United States. While Marjorie stayed there, Valerie returned to Haiti with her US-born child, Fabiola. Years later, when teenage Fabiola and Manman try to return to the US, Manman is detained by immigration authorities, as she overstayed her visa last time and the authorities suspect that she will do it again. Even though she does not appear for much of the book, Manman is a prominent character; her detention sets the plot of American Street in motion. 

Aunt Jo (or “Matant Joe” in Haitian Creole) is Fabiola’s aunt, Valerie’s older sister, and mother to Chantal, Pri, and Donna. Marjorie and her sister were orphaned and abused as children in Haiti. When Marjorie finally made it to America, she was filled with hope that she would find freedom and happiness, but her husband was killed, and her life was forever changed. Marjorie arrived as an immigrant with little money but became a shrewd and tough loan shark in a shady world of illegal deals. Matant Jo paid for Fabiola’s school tuition in Haiti and for her sister’s living expenses. Matant Jo suffers from a condition that leaves her in severe pain. She regrets not being able to free her sister but feels resigned to her tough life in America. She scolds Fabiola for speaking Creole instead of English.  

Haitian Phil—also known as Uncle Phillip or Jean-Phillip Francois—is Fabiola’s uncle, the father of the Three Bees, and the deceased husband of Matant Jo. He came to America after his factory in Haiti burned down. Phillip bought a house in Detroit for his family because he loved that it sat at the corner of American Street and Joy Road. Phillip loved cars, so he went to work at the nearby Chrysler auto plant. Phillip was killed while doing a job for Q. His death has significantly affected the lives of most of the characters in this book.  

Pri (short for Princess) is Donna’s twin sister and Fabiola’s cousin. Pri is the “brawn” of the Three Bees—the nickname for Chantal, Donna, and Pri—and dresses in boyish clothes. Pri likes girls. She is also fiercely protective of Donna. 

Donna (short for Primadonna) is Fabiola’s cousin and Pri’s twin. Matant Jo gave Primadonna and Princess their names because of her expectations that they could become wealthy in America, like royalty. Donna is very feminine and likes to dress well, but doing so earns her the jealousy of her classmates, who call her degrading names. Donna has been dating Dray since she was 12. Donna says that Dray fights for her, and that she fights for her Dray. She is the “beauty” of the Three Bees.  

Chantal is the eldest of Fabiola’s three cousins and the most pragmatic about money. She studies hard and dreams of getting out of Detroit to become a doctor. Her academic abilities earned her a scholarship to a private high school, and everyone expected her to go to a prestigious university. But Chantal decided to go to a local community college in order to take care of her family. Chantal was born in Haiti but spent much of her life in the U.S, so she feels torn between Haiti and the US She is the “brains” of the Three Bees.  

Dray is Donna’s boyfriend and a hard-edged drug dealer in Detroit. As a boy, he killed Haitian Phil while following orders from his Q. He is best friends with Kasim. Dray often beats Donna, and they have a tumultuous relationship. Matant Jo, Pri, and Chantal do not like Dray, but they put up with him for Donna’s sake. Fabiola is convinced that Dray is like the spirit guide of death, Baron Samedi. She agrees to provide Detective Stevens with information on Dray not only to free her mother, but also to get Dray out of Donna’s life. Dray is killed by Papa Legba while holding a gun to Fabiola.  

Kasim’s name means “divided amongst many.” Kasim is Dray’s best friend, and although he tries to publicly distance himself from Dray’s drug dealing, it becomes clear that he does some deals for Dray from time to time. Kasim falls in love with Fabiola and helps her appreciate Detroit. Kasim wants a serious relationship with Fabiola, but he is killed by police after he goes to a party in Grosse Pointe Park to sell drugs on Dray’s behalf. Fabiola is heartbroken and guilt-ridden, as she had expected Dray to show up at the party—not Kasim.

An uncle to Kasim and Dray, Q is an older man who owns a nightclub that he uses for shady business dealings. Haitian Phil is working for Q when he is killed. Q orders Dray to kill a man, but instead, Dray accidentally kills Haitian Phil. Q gives Phil’s wife, Matant Jo, money as compensation for his death, and she uses it to become a loan shark. Q also provides a bad batch of drugs to Fabiola’s cousins, which they sell to the white girl who overdoses. Q shows up to demand that Fabiola’s cousins repay him $20,000 by the end of the month. 

Bad Leg is an old black man with a lame leg. He sits on a bucket in an empty lot across from Matant Jo’s house. He sings and offers riddles to Fabiola and other passerby and has been there for many years. Dray believes Bad Leg is snitching to the cops and beats him up. Fabiola believes that Bad Leg is actually Papa Legba, a spirit guide or lwas known in Haitian voodoo as the guardian of the crossroads. He opens doors both good and bad, and Fabiola prays that he will open a door for her mother to come home. Bad Leg/Papa Legba guides Fabiola on her journey to reunite with her mother. He kills Dray at the end of the novel. 

Imani is Fabiola’s only friend—other than her cousins—at school. Imani offers suggestions on how Fabiola can do better research to improve grades on English papers. Fabiola’s cousin, Donna, becomes jealous of Imani after Dray flirts with her. Imani is not comfortable around Fabiola’s cousins.