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Fabiola Toussaint
Kasim is Dray’s best friend; he later becomes Fabiola’s boyfriend. At first, Fabiola describes Kasim as a vagabon, or a bad boy, and wants nothing to do with him because of his association with Dray. But from the moment they first meet, Fabiola feels drawn to him. He insists on calling her “Fabulous” and makes Fabiola feel “like honey.” As Fabiola and Kasim get to know each other, they fall in love. Fabiola learns that Kasim was raised by his mom and grew up Muslim. When his dad left for Memphis when Kasim was still young, Uncle Q, Dray’s uncle, stepped in to provide for Kasim like a son. In addition, Dray, who’s three years older, was also there for Kasim and made sure that Kasim was accepted and respected in the neighborhood. Though Kasim admits that some of the things he did as a young person would destroy his mom if she knew about them, he’s since cleaned up his act. He works at a local café and drives a car that’s constantly broken down. He’s saving up to buy a house, so his car is a low priority for him. If Kasim does need something expensive right away, he sometimes does favors for Dray and sells drugs, which he describes to Fabiola as “Shit you do for fam.” Fabiola takes this to mean that Kasim is loyal to those he considers family and will do anything for them. Though Fabiola finds these qualities attractive, she’s disturbed by Kasim’s nonchalance when it comes to Dray and Donna’s abusive relationship. Kasim insists that he has no reason to step in when his best friend gets violent with Donna; he simply tells Fabiola that their relationship won’t ever be like that. To his credit, he’s correct: whenever he’s with Fabiola, he treats her kindly and respectfully. But the day after Kasim and Fabiola have sex for the first time, Kasim is murdered by police. His name means “divided amongst many” in Arabic, and Fabiola finds that Kasim’s ghost embodies this: his spirit rests with the many people who protest his murder.
Kasim Quotes in American Street
The American Street quotes below are all either spoken by Kasim or refer to Kasim. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“But I ain’t no kingpin, know what I’m saying? So it’s just favors here and there. Shit you do for fam.”
A cold chill travels up my spine. Shit you do for fam. The way he says it, it’s like he would do anything for his family, like for love and respect. I say it out loud. “Shit you do for fam.” I turn to him.
“Shit you do for fam,” he repeats.
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Chapter 11
Quotes
“On American Street, I will live with my aunt Jo and my cousins, and go to school, and have a cute boyfriend, and keep my mouth shut because in Haiti I learned not to shake hands with the devil. But on Joy Road, I will tell the truth. The truth will lead to my happiness, and I will drive long and far without anything in my way, like the path to New Jersey, to my mother, to her freedom, to my joy. Which road should I take, Papa Legba?”
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Chapter 29
Quotes
I want to say sorry to Chantal. I want to ask her why, with all that money, they never bought a house here. I want to ask her why, with all her brains, is she selling drugs.
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Chapter 32
Quotes
We are all in white. Even Pri has shed her dark clothes and now wears a white turtleneck and pants. I had wrapped my cousins and aunt in white sheets after making a healing bath of herbs and Florida water for each one, and let them curl into themselves and cry and cry. This is what Manman had done for our neighbors who survived the big earthquake. The bath is like a baptism, and if black is the color of mourning, then white is the color of rebirth and new beginnings.
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Kasim Quotes in American Street
The American Street quotes below are all either spoken by Kasim or refer to Kasim. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
“But I ain’t no kingpin, know what I’m saying? So it’s just favors here and there. Shit you do for fam.”
A cold chill travels up my spine. Shit you do for fam. The way he says it, it’s like he would do anything for his family, like for love and respect. I say it out loud. “Shit you do for fam.” I turn to him.
“Shit you do for fam,” he repeats.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11
Quotes
“On American Street, I will live with my aunt Jo and my cousins, and go to school, and have a cute boyfriend, and keep my mouth shut because in Haiti I learned not to shake hands with the devil. But on Joy Road, I will tell the truth. The truth will lead to my happiness, and I will drive long and far without anything in my way, like the path to New Jersey, to my mother, to her freedom, to my joy. Which road should I take, Papa Legba?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 29
Quotes
I want to say sorry to Chantal. I want to ask her why, with all that money, they never bought a house here. I want to ask her why, with all her brains, is she selling drugs.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32
Quotes
We are all in white. Even Pri has shed her dark clothes and now wears a white turtleneck and pants. I had wrapped my cousins and aunt in white sheets after making a healing bath of herbs and Florida water for each one, and let them curl into themselves and cry and cry. This is what Manman had done for our neighbors who survived the big earthquake. The bath is like a baptism, and if black is the color of mourning, then white is the color of rebirth and new beginnings.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
