Gunnar Kaufman
Gunnar is the main character of the novel. An African American male, he is not well-regarded in the town of Santa Monica. However, when he moves to Los Angeles, he seems to "fit in" better, and becomes great at playing basketball. Eventually, Kaufman becomes a successful writer, writing this book as a fictitious memoir for inspiring young black males just like him when he was younger. From Kaufman's significant changes throughout the novel, readers can gather that he is a dynamic character, and can infer that the author, Paul Beatty, has likely had some of the same experiences that fictional Kaufman had.
Gunnar's Mother
Gunnar's mother isn't mentioned much throughout the novel, because, as a stereotypical teenager, Gunnar doesn't want much to do with her. She has similar vocabulary to her son, consistently swearing, not in a hateful way, at him to get things done. You can tell that she cares deeply for her son, but doesn't know his exact needs and how to nurture him. The most important role she played in the novel was her dominance in the decision to move from Santa Monica to Los Angeles, which impacted the rest of Kaufman's life.
Nicolas Scoby
Nicolas Scoby is Gunnar's best friend, and they met when paired together in class to read Othello. Scoby could be described as a street thug, stereotypical in his ways, not very smart, and loving basketball. Although he seems like a bad influence, Gunnar took after his personality, and eventually became a great basketball player just like Nicolas. Scoby eventually starts associated with an accused murderer, Psycho Loco, who, along with Gunnar, rob stores in a Los Angeles riot. For sure, Scoby is not a good influence on Gunnar, but he is stuck with him for better or for worse.
Psycho Loco
His nickname meaning "crazy" Psycho Loco is an assumed murderer, and a friend of Nicolas Scoby and Gunnar Kaufman. He aides in the robbery of stores, in the Los Angeles Riot, but robs and kills "on his own time" as well. Psycho Loco is representative of the problems that occur in bad neighborhoods like West Los Angeles, and why people discriminate against all African Americans instead of just a few - because of the actions of people like him.
