Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix

Zuri is vocal in her critique of gentrification, while also recognizing that bringing money into her neighborhood helps to support it practically. Explore the benefits and drawbacks of gentrification, citing concrete examples from the book itself.

Before the Darcys move in, the Benitez family is taking bets on whether they will be white or Black—and are surprised to learn that the new neighbors are rich and Black. Why does race matter? What does this say about the nature of gentrification?

Warren claims that Darius isn’t “that black” (132). Zuri pinpoints other elements of Darius that refute his “Blackness” in her eyes, such as his wearing khakis and ignoring street code. What stereotypes does Zuri uphold and what limitations does she impose on Darius? How does her impression of him change as they get to know one another?

Zuri is intent on attending Howard University. Why is her decision to attend a historically Black college significant? Look to her visit to the university itself to support your argument.

Zuri is reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me (2015) in the novel. This nonfiction work is formulated as a letter to the author’s son, reflecting on the reality of being Black in America, notably exploring the racism in American culture. Why is this intertextual reference significant? Why might it have been included?

How do references to police violence and racial profiling deepen the conversation regarding race, class, and gentrification? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Darius’s uses the only racial slur uttered in the book, outside of Carrie’s house party. Why is it significant for Darius’s character to use this word—and in this context, in gentrified Park Slope? Consider Zuri’s response and other characters, such as Warren, in your response.

Analyze one of Zuri’s poems within the context of the book at large, considering it in relation to one of the book’s central themes. How does the poem further that theme?