Raspberry Hill is hungry for money and the life she believes she can have if only she has enough money. Raspberry is 13 years old and has already experienced more hardship than many will face in the course of their life. Her obsession with money stems from periods of homelessness she and her mother, Momma, experienced. Now, Raspberry strives to make enough money to move them out of the projects.

Raspberry’s pursuit of money began early and out of necessity. When Raspberry was a child, her father became addicted to dope, and money became tight. Raspberry would “go hunting for loose change on the street like a pigeon hunts for bread” to bring in extra cash (28). Despite Raspberry’s efforts, she explains, “I couldn’t make enough money to keep Momma and me from ending up on the streets” (28). Raspberry feels guilty about being unable to contribute enough to prevent her and Momma from living on the streets even though she was a child at the time. This guilt lingers and drives Raspberry to seek out one money-making scheme after the next, no matter the cost to her relationships or her well-being.

Though Raspberry is undoubtedly creative and entrepreneurial, her greed causes strain in her relationships.