James McBride- author, one of the main narrators in the memoir; writer, jazz musician, composer, journalist; was brought up in the Christian faith, however, as a child, he steered away for a brief moment and got involved with drugs and crime before becoming focused and determined.

Ruth McBride Jordan- one of the main characters of the novel; mother of 12 children; Polish Jewish immigrant [turned Christian after marrying her 1st husband]; determined, brave, and intelligent; imposes hard work, education, and family values upon all of her children and succeeds despite her unconventional life because of her tough skin and strong personality.

Andrew Dennnis McBride- Ruth's 1st husband and James' biological father; gentle but strong man; very conservative; had 8 of 12 children by Ruth; died shortly after of lung cancer at a young age.

Hunter Jordan- Ruth's 2nd husband; a man who shared her beliefs and showed the importance of God, family, and education; died of a stroke when James was a teenager; family remembers him with fondness.

Hudis Shilsky- Ruth's mother; a woman who suffered from polio her whole her life; was soft-spoken and fragile; came from a well-off family who disowned her due to her disability.

Fishel Shilsky- Ruth's father; was an extremely difficult person; racist, harsh, and greedy; sexually abused Ruth; threatened to disown Ruth is she married a black man.

Dee Dee- Ruth's younger sister; shy, pretty, less strong-willed than Ruth; although Ruth envied her, Dee Dee herself suffered desperation and sorrow.

Sam- Ruth's brother who ran away at the age of 15 as a result of his father's harsh ways and was later killed in the army during World War II.

Frances- Ruth's only bestfriend as a child where they grew up in Suffolk; was sweet and welcoming towards Ruth.

Peter- Ruth's first African American boyfriend; they saw each other secretly because of discrimination and racism that existed serverely in that time period; fathered Ruth's first unborn child as a teenager which she decided not to keep.

Bubeh- Ruth's maternal grandmother; one of the few family relatives Ruth remembers fondly; allowed Ruth to stay with her when she was in New York; seemed like a great guardian- she disciplined her some and also gave her room to grow; she accepted Ruth.

Jack- James's older sister who he remembers as sweet and fun as well as serious; she warned him of his drug habits and bad behavior; James respected her and eventually listened to her advice.

Aunt Mary, Aunt Laura, Aunt Betsy- Hudis's sisters and Ruth's aunts; all welathy women who acted too good and snobby, even towards the people in their own family.