Sing, Unburied, Sing: Chapter 8: Jojo Summary & Analysis

When the police pull them over, Richie (who is sitting on the floor of the car) tells Jojo: “They going to chain you.” The officer tells Jojo to get out of the car, and Richie says “I told you,” and then curls up in a ball. As the officer shouts at Jojo, all Jojo can think about is Kayla, panicking at the prospect of the officer shooting her accidentally. As soon as the officer lets them go, Richie begins talking to Jojo. He asks if Pop told Jojo about him, and Jojo says Pop did. Richie tells Jojo that he looks like Pop.

After two hours of driving, the group stops at a gas station. Leonie is still bent over, and Michael gives Jojo money to buy milk and charcoal for Leonie’s stomach. At first Jojo refuses, and Michael almost hits him; however, Jojo eventually agrees. When Jojo returns with the milk and charcoal, Michael sends him back once more to get a tool so Michael can smash up the charcoal into a powder. Jojo buys a gauge and a Tootsie Pop for himself. When he gets back in the car, Kayla starts shouting “Candy, candy!” and Jojo silently urges her to be quiet. Michael mixes the milk and charcoal, which lets out a strong smell of Sulphur. While the focus is on Leonie, Jojo gives Kayla the Tootsie Pop. Michael forces the mixture down Leonie’s throat and she vomits.

Richie asks if Leonie is Jojo’s mother, and Jojo replies “No.” Richie says that he knows he (Richie) tried to escape Parchman and that he didn’t make it, but that he doesn’t know how he died and needs to find out. Pop has never told Jojo the story of what happened after Richie escaped; Jojo knows that Pop doesn’t want to think about it. Richie tells Jojo that there are things he doesn’t know, such as the fact that home isn’t a place, but about “whether the earth open up to you.” Richie says he is looking for a “song,” and that he (Richie) is going to be part of it. Jojo asks what else he doesn’t know, and Richie says he doesn’t yet know about love or time.