Blackout

Tammi is a Black teenage girl living in New York City in “The Long Walk.” Tammi is intelligent and ambitious, with dreams of making it big in film and television when she is older. In the novel’s first story, Tammi is on the brink of turning a new leaf; following a rough breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Kareem, she makes plans to completely transform her life and personality. Wanting to leave Kareem and the days of high school in the past before she leaves for college, Tammi is intent on “buying a whole new wardrobe before school, all to match my new life as I leave my old one behind” (8).

Being so intent on making a new life for herself, Tammi is headstrong and willing to fight for what she wants. When it comes to her attention that Kareem is up for the same internship position, she asserts, “[T]he job is mine!” knowing how much it could benefit her future film career (10). Tammi’s headstrong sensibilities shine through her determination to maintain a businesslike distance from Kareem once they begin their trek through Manhattan and into Brooklyn during the blackout. Her plans are foiled as the day goes on and she realizes that she is still in love with Kareem, who has been her closest confidant since they were small children, emphasizing the novel’s theme of