| Mrs. | Bell | Gifty's teacher. |
| Max R. | Bennett | A psychologist. |
| Mrs. | Caldwell | Gifty's neighbor. |
| Miss | Cindy | A lecturer. |
| Mrs. | Cline | A deacon at the First Assemblies. |
| Mrs. | Foster | Gifty's mother's acquaintance. |
| Daniel | Gentry | One of Gifty's acquaintances. |
| Billy | Graham | American Christian evangelist. |
| Ryan | Green | P.T.'s
protégé. |
| Mrs. | Greer | A librarian. |
| Peter M.S. | Hacker | A philosopher. |
| John | Harvard | Statue in Cambridge, Massachusetts of Harvard Univ. founder. |
| Gerard Manley | Hopkins | English poet. |
| Pastor | John | A preacher. |
| T. M. | Luhrmann | A contributing opinion writer. |
| Misty | Moore | One of Gifty's acquaintances. |
| Mrs. | Morton | Mrs. Cline's acquaintance. |
| Ben | Okri | A Nigerian writer. |
| R. | Padmavati | Works at Schizophrenia Research Foundation. |
| Mrs. | Palmer | A woman Gifty's mother is caring for. |
| Mrs. | Pasternack | A biology teacher. |
| Mrs. | Reynolds | Gifty's mother's acquaintance. |
| William | Shakespeare | English playwright and poet. |
| H. | Tharoor | Consultant Psychiatrist. |
| Mr. | Thomas | An octogenarian with an early-stage Parkinson's disease. |
| Anne | | Gifty's friend. |
| Ashley | | Gifty's childhood best friend. |
| Bethany | | Gifty's friend. |
| Black Mamba | | Gifty's mother's code name. |
| Bob | | A maintenance man. |
| Brent | | Nana's acquaintance. |
| Buddy | | A golden retriever. |
| Chin Chin Man | | Gifty's father's code name. |
| Colen | | Ashley's brother. |
| Ernest | | One of Gifty's group mates. |
| Fred | | A thesis adviser. |
| Geoffrey | | Gifty's fellow student in kindergarten class. |
| Gifty | | The protagonist. |
| Han | | Gifty's lab mate. |
| Joyce | | Gifty's aunt. |
| Justin | | Gifty's acquaintance. |
| Katherine | | Gifty's friend. aka: Kathy. |
| Katie | | One of Gifty's friends. |
| Lisa | | Pastor John's wife. |
| Mary | | Pastor John's daughter. |
| Melissa | | One of a church members. |
| Mike | | A 67 year old man who was diagnosed with Parkinson disease. |
| Molly | | One of Gifty's group mates. |
| Nana | | Gifty's brother. aka: Buzz. |
| Pastor Tom | | A young preacher. aka: PT. |
| Raymond | | A PhD candidate in Modern Thought and Literature. |
| Sabina | | A grocery cashier. |
| Samantha | | Gifty's roommate. |
| Steve | | Katherine's husband. |
| Tanya | | Gifty's colleague. |
| Yao | | One of Gifty's group mates. |
| Zack | | One of Gifty's group mates. |
