50 pages • 1 hour read
Olugbemisola Rhuday-PerkovichOperation Sisterhood
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Baking
Baking is a recurring motif symbolizing Bo’s relationship with her mother and her individuality. Like Bo, the motif evolves as the story progresses. Baking is something that Bo enjoys doing and is very good at. A part of this is because it is something she has done with Lola since she was very little. Lola’s parents owned a bakery, and Lola passed down their recipes and skills to Bo. In this way, baking signifies Bo’s family heritage and the special bond between mother and daughter.
The Sunshine Surprise Smilecake is a related symbol. Bo assumes that the cake is a surprise for her and eagerly waits for her mother to share it with her. Eventually, Bo discovers that Lola is developing the recipe for Sunday. By this point in the story, Bo has aired some of her concerns with her mother and feels secure in her relationship with both her mother and her new family. Thus, she is not bothered by her mother’s attempts to bond with her new daughter, Sunday.
Baking is also an activity that reflects Bo’s unique character. It involves following precise instructions with very little room for experimentation at the foundational level, which speaks to Bo’s inherently organized and meticulous nature. However, once the basics are in place, baking does allow room for experimentation, and one can create new flavors and combinations, as both Bo and Lola do. This mirrors Bo’s natural creativity.
In keeping with this, Bo sees baking as something unique to her identity and attempts to keep it to herself for as long as possible. She actively avoids Sunday’s requests to learn from her. Eventually, however, once Bo feels more comfortable with her place within the family and with asserting herself, she sees value in sharing baking with her sisters. She also finds other things that she enjoys doing as much as she does baking like music. Bo finally asks her sisters to help with the cupcakes for the block party. In this instance, baking as a motif speaks to the larger theme of Personal Growth and Finding One’s Voice.
Music
Music is a recurring motif throughout the book, and the book’s title is derived from this motif and its related themes. One of the first things that Bo discovers she has in common with her new sisters is that they are all musical. However, each of them plays a different instrument, which initially appears to be yet another thing that separates them. Over time, Bo and her sisters come together to practice their instruments or spontaneously harmonize and sing together. Each time, they experience a sense of joy and celebration, with Bo being surprised by how good they sound, or people gathering to appreciate the music. The fact that each of the girls plays different instruments that complement each other mirrors the way the family embraces and celebrates differences and finds ways to work together harmoniously. In this way, music develops the theme of The Dynamics of Blended Families and Sisterhood.
Similarly, music also plays a role in uniting and bringing people together. The girls come together as siblings because of music when they decide to seriously pursue their band. The band further becomes an avenue for the girls to connect with and give back to the neighborhood community when they decide to become a babysitting band. Furthermore, music contributes to the camaraderie and celebratory mood at the block party. The community talent show, especially, gives the attendees a way to participate and feel included in the festivities. In this way, music as a motif also speaks to the theme of The Role of Community in Fostering Belonging and Support.
The Community Garden
The community garden is an important symbol in the book and is related to the historical and cultural background of Harlem as well (see: Background). The adults take over the care of the community garden after winning it back from a real estate developer. This background is a nod to the increasing attempts at gentrification in the historically influential Black neighborhood and points to how the community continues to resist such attempts to preserve its culture (see: Background).
Within the story, the adults of the Dwyer-Saunders clan take on the garden’s upkeep in an attempt to win some neighborly goodwill. With the family not yet well-accepted within the neighborhood, they recognize the need to invest in building relationships within the community by giving back to it. The garden eventually becomes the venue of a block party celebrating Lola and Bill’s wedding, which morphs into a community-wide event. The event is a major success, with the neighborhood turning out in full support and celebration. While the block party showcases the power of music, food, and culture in uniting people, it also showcases the strength of community, especially when they are united over a common goal. The community garden still needs work, and the potential to develop it further will be a rallying point for the neighborhood community.
