Behold the Dreamers

Behold the Dreamers

by

Imbolo Mbue

A West African snack or breakfast of deep-fried dough, sometimes served with powdered sugar. Neni makes Mighty puff-puff for breakfast when she serves as his nanny in the Hamptons, and it becomes a food that he associates with her maternal love and care.
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Puff-Puff Term Timeline in Behold the Dreamers

The timeline below shows where the term Puff-Puff appears in Behold the Dreamers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 24
Class and Interdependency Theme Icon
Family and Belonging Theme Icon
...and that maybe Mighty can go with her to Harlem where they can continue making puff-puff for breakfast. Mighty says it’d be “cool” to go to Harlem, then he remembers that... (full context)
Chapter 25
Class and Interdependency Theme Icon
Family and Belonging Theme Icon
...she opens the door, Mighty rushes in to hug her and asks if she’s made puff-puff, which she reminds him is a breakfast food. (full context)
Chapter 34
Family and Belonging Theme Icon
...could come too. Jende shakes his head, but suggests that Neni could make Mighty some puff-puff and fried ripe plantains for him to eat going to and from school. When Jende... (full context)
Chapter 55
Family and Belonging Theme Icon
...Neni suggests that he might like them more if they gave him fried plantains and puff-puff. Vince uses that as a segue to ask Neni if she’d like to be Mighty’s... (full context)