He recalls his father making anti-gay comments, including that Black people can’t be gay. However, King wonders if his father would feel bad about it if he knew Sandy was gay.

King’s father hears news about the missing boy on the radio and says how terrible it is. King is afraid to tell anyone that he saw Sandy in the bayou the afternoon before he went missing because he fears the sheriff will suspect him of having something to do with his disappearance. It is from Sheriff Sanders, Sandy’s father, who tells her that Sandy has gone missing. That night at dinner, King’s mother gets a phone call. Sandy tells King that he is not ashamed of being gay and that there is nothing wrong with liking other boys instead of girls. He admits that he is angry at King for breaking off their friendship but offers to listen if King needs someone to talk to. Sandy tells King that he is sorry about Khalid. King runs into Sandy while walking alone in the bayou. Sandy’s grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. There are rumors around town that Sandy’s brother Mikey participated in the murder of a Black man, although the authorities never charged him, possibly because his father is the sheriff. Sandy comes from a racist family, which further complicates his relationship with King. Khalid told King, “You don’t want anyone to think you’re gay, too, do you?” (27). King’s brother Khalid overheard their conversation and told King he should not be friends with Sandy anymore. King was once close friends with Charles “Sandy” Sanders, who is white, until Sandy told him he was gay. King tells them he knows Sandy is gay and then regrets telling Sandy’s secret. His friend Darrell talks with Camille-the school’s gossiper-about rumors their classmate Sandy Sanders is gay. He looks for dragonflies when he walks by the bayou near his home, fantasizing that one of them could be his brother.Īt school, King is friends with Jasmine, and he wonders what the difference is between liking her as a friend and being her boyfriend.

He imagines that Khalid has returned as a dragonfly because one of the insects landed on his brother’s casket during the funeral. He is mourning the recent death of his older brother, Khalid. Kingston “King” James is 12 years old, Black, and living in a small town in Louisiana. Thomas, USVI, and currently live in Philadelphia. The author, Kacen Callender, has written several books for children, teens, and adults, including the Lambda Literary award-winning Hurricane Child.

King and the dragon flies