After doing some thinking on the characters of Malik and Rakim Washington, I realized that I didn’t clarify something in regards to their parents. I did mention that the two were killed in a car accident while they were on vacation, but I didn’t mention much about their lives prior to that incident.

What I wanted to share was that Malik and Rakim were raised in a two-parent Christian household despite being brought up in West Brookstone. When I first discussed the city, I described West Brookstone as being the part of Brookstone where the lower middle class and those in poverty lived. It was known as being the hangout for drug dealers, pimps, etc. while East Brookstone was where the majority of the rich resided.

When most people think of the “hood,” they rarely envision a two-parent household. It seems that most people think of single mothers and absentee fathers. I didn’t want them to be subject to the same stigma, but I needed a way to explain the absence of their parents. A car accident was harsh, but death was the only excuse for their parents to never be around for the entire series. To be honest, I could always do a flashback scene with Malik and have them there. Well, you just never know!

SN: The next Behind the Book post will discuss Jayceon “King” Santiago!