Sadie is a young mother in the Chicago parents’ group with which Barack works. She, like the other parents, lives in Altgeld. However, unlike most of the other parents, Sadie is married and highly religious. Her husband is training to be a minister, so her family doesn’t associate much with the other families. Though Barack is disappointed when Sadie—who’s tiny, soft-spoken, and nervous—offers to talk to Mr. Anderson about the possible presence of asbestos in Altgeld’s apartments, Sadie proves herself a skilled organizer. She becomes the face of the asbestos conflict, but she withdraws from the parents’ organization after a disastrous public event with the director. Sadie tells Barack that she’s not hopeful that they can accomplish anything, so she needs to concentrate on saving money to move away instead.