History Literature / NoughtsAndCrosses

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: And how. Much of the attitude against noughts mirrors prejudice against Black people during segregation in America, apartheid in South Africa and to a lesser extent attitudes towards black people in Britain until the 1960's. The Liberation Milita are realistic WellIntentionedExtremist, with echoes of the IRA and MK and PAC anti apartheid guerrillas in South Africa. Kamal Hadley's political policy of "sending white people back where they came from," resembles some peoples ideas about immigration in (modern) Britain. There is even a reference to a KKK-esque band of Crosses who tied a nought to the back of a car and dragged him till he died for being in a ''Cross only'' area.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: And how. Much of the attitude against noughts mirrors prejudice against Black people during segregation in America, apartheid in South Africa and to a lesser extent attitudes towards black people in Britain until the 1960's. The Liberation Milita are realistic WellIntentionedExtremist, with echoes of the IRA and MK and PAC anti apartheid guerrillas in South Africa.

And Kamal Hadley's political policy of "sending white people back where they came from," resembles some peoples ideas about immigration in (modern) Britain. There is even a reference to a KKK-esque band of Crosses who tied a nought to the back of a car and dragged him till he died for being in a ''Cross only'' area.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: And how. Much of the attitude against noughts mirrors prejudice against Black people during segregation in America, apartheid in South Africa and to a lesser extent attitudes towards black people in Britain until the 1960's.

The Liberation Milita are realistic WellIntentionedExtremist, with echoes of the IRA and MK and PAC anti apartheid guerrillas in South Africa.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: And how. Much of the attitude against noughts mirrors prejudice against Black people during segregation in America, and to a lesser extent attitudes towards black people in Britain until the 1960's. The Liberation Milita are realistic WellIntentionedExtremist, and Kamal Hadley's political policy of "sending white people back where they came from," resembles some peoples ideas about immigration in (modern) Britain. There is even a reference to a KKK-esque band of Crosses who tied a nought to the back of a car and dragged him till he died for being in a ''Cross only'' area.

** Brutally averted by the younger peers in Callie's school.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Sephy and Callum. [[spoiler: As they grow up their romantic feelings are completely, 100% reciprocated but outside forces tear them apart brutally averting them becoming 'victorious' childhood friends.]]

** Callie Rose goes through this after she discovers the truth about her father's death.

* [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt Where Da Nought Women At]]: Lynette and her mentioned boyfriend, Jed. [[spoiler: They are almost killed because of it, sending her over the edge.]]

* BitterSweetEnding: Checkmate. [[spoiler: Jasmine kills Jude, preventing him from harming Sephy or Callie anymore but dies as a result and Meggie loses her last child. Sephy and Callie reconcile and realize Callum loved both of them all along, but will never really get over his death.]]

'''Noughts & Crosses''' series is set in a world where [[PersecutionFlip the people with dark skin (Crosses) are dominant over the white people (noughts)]], written by Malorie Blackman. The title is a reference to the game Noughts and Crosses [[SeparatedByACommonLanguage (tic-tac-toe)]].

** Bliss, one of Callie Rose's classmates. To the point where she calls Callie's hair "Blanker hair."

* ChildhoodFriends: Played with concerning Sephy and Callum. [[spoiler: As they grow up their romantic feelings are completely, 100% reciprocated but outside forces tear them apart brutally averting the 'victorious' part of this trope.]]

* LaResistance: The Liberation Militia
* MamaBear: Meggie. Mcgregor. And Jasmine Hadley.

* PresidentEvil: Kamal Hadley was planning on being Prime Minster, but he didn't succeed.

* TraumaCongaLine: Basically the entire first book for Callum: [[spoiler: His sister is borderline insane, his older brother picks on him and his parents disapprove of him continuing his education at an all-white high school, at said-school he's constantly bullied by students and teachers for his race. Then his sister dies in a bus accident, which he discovers was suicide but can't bring himself to tell anyone, his dad is arrested for murder, almost executed and then killed trying to escape. And of course he has to keep his friendship with Sephy a secret, then falls in love with her while knowing they can never be together as he misses his one chance to run away with her. They eventually have one night together and conceive a child...which results in him being put to death and not even being allowed to see her again before he dies.]]

* UptownGirl: Sephy, the daughter of a wealthy politician, to Callum whose mother used to work for her parents. It's just one of the many obstacles they face.
* WideEyedIdealist: Sephy, at least during the first book. Callum is this in comparison to the rest of his family but get's steadily more cynical.

* BetaCouple: Cara Imega/Jude, and [[spoiler: Tobey and Callie Rose.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Utterly subverted with Jude, who attacked a pregnant Sephie and planned to kill her, only sparing her when he realised she wanted to die... then decided it would hurt her more if he let her live then Callum's daughter against her mother.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Utterly subverted with Jude, who attacked a pregnant Sephie and planned to kill her, only sparing her when he realised she was expecting... so that he could eventually turn Callum's daughter against her mother.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: And how. Much of the attitude against noughts mirrors prejudice against Black people during segregation in America, and to a lesser extent attitudes towards black people in Britain until the 1960's. The Liberation Milita are realistic WellIntentionedExtremist, and Kamal Hadley's political policy of "sending white people back where the came from," resembles some peoples ideas about immigration in (modern) Britain. There is even a reference to a KKK-esque band of Crosses who tied a nought to the back of a car and dragged him till he died for being in a ''Cross only'' area.

* PresidentEvil: Kamal Hadley was planning on being Prime Minster, but he didn't succed.

* [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt Where Da nought Women At]]: Lynette and her mentioned boyfriend, Jed. [[spoiler: They are almost killed because of it, sending her over the edge.]]

* DrowningMySorrows: Jasmine from the start, then Sephy as a teenager.

* [[spoiler: Earn your happy ending]]: Toby's struggle throughout his entire Main/ADayInTheLimelight book is for this cause. The entire series is this because it is the [[spoiler: final book]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Callum agrees to be hanged in exchange for Sephy keeping their child.]]

* TheOphelia: Lynette, in a creepy, realistic way. "But I'm a Cross. Look at my skin, so dark and rich..."

* ChildhoodFriends: Played with concerning Sephy and Callum. [[spoiler: As they grow up their romantic feelings are completely, 100% reciprocated but outside forces tear them apart brutally averting this trope.]]
** [[spoiler: Tobey and Callie Rose play it straight.]]

* CrowningMomentOfHeartWarming:
** At the end of noughts And Crosses, [[spoiler: Sephy and Callum confessing to each other that they love each other as he is hanged.]]
** The eventual reconciliation between [[spoiler: Sephy and Callie at the end of Checkmate]] is truly beautiful.

* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler: Sephy attempts to invoke this, dating Sonny and eventually agreeing to marry Nathan years after the events of the first book. However Callie doubts than she never really got over Callum.]]

* BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama: Sephy and Callum, but due to the alternate universe PersecutionFlip, he's viewed as her inferior rather than vice versa, making it fit more with WhereDaWhiteWomenAt.

* ChildhoodFriends: Sephy and Callum.

* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[Sephy attempts to invoke this, dating Sonny and eventually agreeing to marry Nathan years after Callum's death. However Callie doubts she ever really got over Callum.]]

* VictoriousChildhoodFriends: Played with concerning Sephy and Callum. [[spoiler: Their feelings are completely, 100% reciprocated and they do briefly get together, but outside forces tear them apart brutally averting this trope.]]

* DownerEnding: Depends on which book you read. [[spoiler: The only reason the trope averts itself is because the Main/AndTheAdventureContinues.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Basically the entire first book for Callum: [[spoiler: His sister is borderline insane, his older brother picks on him and his parents disapprove of him actually managing to get into an all-white high school and continue his education, at school he's constantly bullied by students and teachers for his race, then his sister dies in a bus accident which he later finds out was suicide but can't bring himself to tell anyone, his dad is put on trial for murder, almost executed and then killed trying to escape, he falls in love with his best friend but knows it can never work because she's black and their friendship is a secret from almost everyone.]]

* BlackGalOnWhiteGirlDrama: Sephy and Callum, but due to the alternate universe PersecutionFlip, he's viewed as her inferior rather than vice versa, making it fit more with WhereDaWhiteWomenAt.

* RebelliousPrincess: Sephy. (A modern version as politicians daughter).

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds:[[spoiler: JUDE.]]