Arika is a very dynamic protagonist. She used to be very rebellious and became a toady after Teacher Jones crushed her spirit. A lot of the book is about whether or not she will return to being rebellious. Topics this book brought up - what does it take to be a revolutionary, the role of school and revised histories in upholding the status quo, the importance of memory to identity, creating family in a disruptive violent environment, the usefulness of divide and conquer.