Renée Watson’s Piecing Me Together is a must read

PIECING ME TOGETHER by Renée Watson, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Feb. 14, 2017, hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)

I am a white woman living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. And though I have a number of black friends and a few black family members, I really have no idea what it is like to be a black woman in America. That’s why I find books like Renée Watson’s Piecing Me Together so compelling.

At the center of Piecing Me Together is Jade, a black teen who thinks leaving her poor neighborhood is the only way she’s going to be successful. Jade grabs every opportunity that comes her way — a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and Saturday morning test prep opportunities.

Sometimes those “opportunities” and those who offer them come across as condescending rather than beneficial. When Jade receives an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls, aka black girls, she’s reluctant to join. But she can’t pass up the scholarship that comes with it. The problem is, Maxine, Jade’s mentor, may be black, but she doesn’t understand Jade. Going to the symphony and museums and meeting new people are great, but Jade likes her friends and her neighborhood despite perceived problems. What’s wrong, she wonders, with being herself.

Piecing Me Together is very much a story of race and how it is perceived.

As much as we want to say that race doesn’t influence our experiences, it does. When you grow up learning not only what to say and how to act around the police, but also to make sure you get the whole thing on camera, that’s going shape the lens through which you view the law enforcement community. The same goes for other things I might take for granted. I’ve never been followed or asked to leave a store. I always “looked” like most of the kids I went to school with.

Even though Jade’s story isn’t one I could personally relate to as far as race goes, Piecing Me Together touches on universal elements of friendship, self-discovery. body image and financial hardship. Author Renée Watson’s prose is as bold as it is inviting. Her insights on race, class and gender are poignantly told through raw emotion. Piecing Me Together is especially timely in our current political climate. I highly recommend it to teens and adults alike.

There are many novels being published this year that are tackling tough subjects, many of which were touched upon in this novel. Each perspective is going to add something to the discussion and Piecing Me Together is one of those novels that needs to be brought up. It introduces us to Jade, a girl living in a neighborhood labeled as a 'hood' and going to a private school attended by predominately white kids.

There were many parts of this novel that tackled difficult subjects: racism, prejudice, internalized racism, privilege, identity. Looking at certain events, such as being profiled in a store at the mall because of her skin color and her body type, through the eyes of a woman of color gave me insight into situations that I'll never experience. It was hurtful and shameful to read about Jade's having to deal with these events, realizing that it's not just a book to some people, it's every day life.

One of Jade's many talents, besides her scholarly abilities, is her art. It was interesting to hear about, not only the fact that collage is an unusual kind of art to read about in a novel but because she used it to cope with the various difficulties she was working through. There was historical stories that echoed through time to her world (Lewis & Clark's journey with Sacajawea & York); police brutality that shook not only Jade but those around her in her North Portland neighborhood; Jade's personal problems in learning to speak up not only for those around her but for herself. It would be fascinating to have seen some of her collages sprinkled throughout the novel (I read an eARC so  I can't comment on the final artwork of the book).

Jade not only deals with white people seeing her through their racist perception of a stereotypical black girl, a girl that couldn't possibly like classical music or speak well, but with issues within her own community. Maxine, her mentor in the Woman to Woman program, at one point talks about how her family brought her up to be proud of her heritage, but to not act black at her predominantly white school so as not to be judged anymore than she already would be because of her skin color. Maxine learns something from Jade throughout the book and comes to terms with her upbringing and how it might have clouded her judgement of Jade and the mentoring program girls.

There is also Sam, Jade's new friend that attends her school. Sam is a white girl stands in as an example of white privilege. While hanging out with Jade, there are two separate incidents that Sam directly witnesses of a racist nature and she ignores them or denies their severity when confronted. Sam is an example of what silence can do and while she does begin to learn and recognize her own privilege toward the end of the book, there is still damage done to the friendship between her and Jade. 

I would have liked to hear more about the girls in the Woman to Woman program because, while we are shown how Jade doesn't fit the stereotype of the girl that would need the program, we never really hear much, if anything, about the other participants. There are briefs mentions of them at the beginning, but only by name and nothing really about their circumstances. It felt like that this would have been a good opportunity to bring in their unique stories.

Jade's family was extremely important in this book, especially her mother seeing as she was the one pushing her into the various opportunities. Her father and uncle, however, felt like underdeveloped side characters that didn't add much to the story. Her father's actual presence on the page could have just as easily been cut and her history with him made internal dialogue; her uncle E.J. didn't seem to serve any purpose at all, except maybe to illustrate how young he and Jade's mother were.

Nothing was totally solved at the end of the book. Jade made great strides in coming into her own identity as a woman of color and as an artist, but in the background there's the knowledge that the events inspiring her art are still going on. This is a stepping stone on a journey that needs discussion and sharing, not denial and erasure.

Jade believes the only way she’ll find success is to get out of her neighborhood. That’s why she accepts a scholarship to a privileged, mostly white school. It’s why she puts her studies first—no time for boys, no time for goofing around. As a girl from a poor neighborhood, Jade knows she must appreciate the opportunities that come her way, even those that treat her as less-than. When she joins a mentorship program meant to help “at-risk” (read: black) girls, Jade’s frustration mounts. How is her so-called mentor supposed to teach her anything when she doesn’t have her own life together? How are the group’s pointless activities supposed to change anything for her?

As Jade wrestles with the injustices in her life, she begins to realize the only way things will change is for her to find her own voice, to speak up, and challenge the people around her. Her courage and vulnerability make her story deeply moving and accessible. When she shares her experiences with racism with a white friend, at one point her friend sort of shrugs and says, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Jade’s ability to articulate this response—support me, believe me, she tells her friend—opens conversation and dialogue about race relations issues.

Overall, this is a rich story. Though Jade’s experiences may be different than some readers, it’s easy to connect with her, to love her, and to understand how she feels and why. It’s easy to cheer for her victories, as a young woman and an artist. I loved that she’s a collagist, and I loved the way her art was a key component of the story. I loved the way history (the story relates some information about York, an African American man who traveled with Lewis and Clark) and poetry played a key role in the story as well.

I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction or novels about art and friendship.

Piecing Me Together, an #ownvoices book by Renée Watson, tells an important story about black girlhood and the need for imagining people complexly.

First things first. Cover. Love. This cover is so gorgeous.

One of the things I love most about Piecing Me Together is that there’s no romantic element. It’s a story about black girls and women and the varied experiences of being a black girl and woman. Like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about in her TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story, we risk fundamental misunderstandings with each other when we reduce other people to the stereotypes of a single story. Renée Watson, through Jade, her mother, Maxine, and all the other women in Piecing Me Together, carries on this theme. It’s hard for Jade and Maxine to understand each other at first, for Jade’s mother to understand Maxine, for Maxine’s mother to understand both Maxine and Jade, for Jade’s friends to understand her, etc. But what stands out is this idea that communication and active listening opens the door to understanding each other. Once Jade opens up to the people in her life, great things start to happen. Female communities FTW.

Jade is a fantastic character that I think a lot of teens can relate to. She’s in this strange space, stuck between two worlds that don’t really understand her. I think reading Piecing Me Together alongside a discussion about Double Consciousness could be super beneficial way of talking about race in the classroom and at home.

I know I’m going all analytical in this review, but it’s because Piecing Me Together is so deep and fantastic that I can’t help but dig deep in my thoughts on it. So, perhaps this isn’t a traditional review. But let me just say this: this book is fantastic, has authentic, heartfelt characters, and is a read that won’t disappoint you. Buy it. Borrow it from the library. Do what you’ve got to do to read it because it’s well worth it.

Verdict

An #ownvoices novel with unabashed love for black girls and women. A must read.

I enjoyed this book. It's message driven, but the message is timely and much needed. Jade is a scholarship student at a prestigious private school in Portland. She is an artist who takes things other people throw away and makes them beautiful. Inspired by current events, and the experiences of York, the slave who traveled with Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition, her artwork is her outlet and form of self care. 
 
Jade's story is telling in many ways. Watson's message of embracing oneself aims to strip away the stigma of inner city black  women, and does so in ways I appreciate greatly. We see Jade's mother as hard working - and Jade's teachers, mentor, and society see Jade's mother as negligent. Jade sees her mother as loving, and doing the best she can to both provide, watch over her daughter, and trust the school and mentorship program to fill in where she is time strapped and financially unable. When Jade's mentor, Maxine, begins making plans without Jade's mother's knowledge, Jade's mother speaks up and lets her know this is unacceptable. I saw a lot of my teenaged self in Jade. Thoughtful and introspective, yet being so afraid to speak up. By the end of the book, one conversation from Jade's mentor makes Jade magically able to speak up for herself. 
 
Jade is deeply affected by a police brutality case of a teen in a nearby community who is the same age as she is. The teen is hospitalized due to her encounter with a police officer over a small infraction. Watson does a great job of showing the inner turmoil of the protagonist, similar to what young women may be thinking or feeling in today's climate. This incident leads to a heated discussion with Sam, Jade's white friend, who sees the situation differently. Watson faces difficult topics of race head on. Themes in this book touch on classism within the black community, discussing racial incidents across the color lines, mentorship - both good and bad, and opportunities for low income students - who gets what.
 
Also, I appreciated that this was not a romance driven YA! And this too is a message. Jade mentions that mentoring programs seem to overwhelmingly focus on telling girls that they should be wary of boys - but boys aren't a problem for Jade. She would like for the mentoring programs to focus more on teaching about maintaining a budget and opening a business. I was really feeling Jade as a protagonist!
 
The story does end happily - almost too happily, but a happy ending does not a flaw make! Overall this is a great read that encourages us all to do better, and I for one, am taking note--the Jade's of the world are watching.
 
**Recieved Netgalley eBook ARC

Piecing Me Together is a collage of a young black dreamer, a work of art that shies away from nothing and no one. It celebrates black excellence and commemorates black lives lost. It closes on a moment that is an encouragement to speak up and be loud, and we will listen. It asks you to sit up and listen. And you do listen, again and again and again.

This timely young adult book hits the reader with brutal insights on race, class and wealth on a regular basis, all while telling the story of Jade, a black girl in Portland, Oregon trying to fit in and succeed in a biased world.  The prose is fairly stark, while occasionally breaking into a more poetic style to draw attention to the emotion and message being conveyed. At some points it feels as if Jade’s story is a bit rushed and merely a backdrop for the necessary and welcome commentary on being black in America, but given how striking that commentary is, the story draws you back into caring deeply about the characters and their reflection of modern America. Jade’s art and her relationship with her mentor, Maxine, are focal points of the book and provide depth to the narrative. I read an ebook advance reader copy of this title, and look forward to having a final copy to re-read and mark all of the passages that struck me on topics of race, gender, police brutality,  body image and class. 

VERDICT: A must-purchase for middle and high school libraries and a book for all teens to read immediately. Adults will also find the social commentary compelling.

The first half of the book went a little slow for me but it was a good read. I knew it was a realistic contemporary going into it but I still thought it would have a little more grit. I loved that Jade was smart and knew where she wanted to go in life. Her relationships with everyone grew around her in turn making her grow. With her mom letting go, with Maxine letting in, with Leelee always understanding, and with Sam learning to hear each other. Jade transformed in front of us. I found myself getting more involved toward the end. I really ended up wanting to know more. I want to see I'm so here for a sequel  of jade in college! I want to see her blow the world away with her art. All in all it was a good read but I was left wanting more. 3.7 stars

I've made progress in finishing this book, but it's been difficult. The premise of the book was promising, but it comes across as overly preachy and doesn't sound like a teenager.

Reflections on Emotional Resonance in Renée Watson's PIECING ME TOGETHER

There are so many things which have been happening in the last several years (days!?) which have deserved our emotions. As a person of color, the uptick in police slayings of African Americans indeed engaged my emotions - but sometimes those emotions are so massive they can't be expressed - and the "public" page seems not the place for something so large, unwieldy, and indiscreet. But Renée Watson has shown herself to be a woman with a dab hand at conveying complex emotional nuances in a delicate manner - not clouting the reader over the head with them, but allowing them to feel and experience them, and to puzzle them out, in their own time.

While there are a few novels out this year speaking directly to the experience of being a minority in a dominant culture world, I haven't read one which deals as well with the poignancy of the human condition of wanting acceptance and love just because -- and not wanting to be bundled with being "fixed" or "helped" in some way. Occasionally, I observe themes or topics in the zeitgeist, and try to work through these ideas in a talking-out-loud kind of way. This is an occasional series which proposes to study these elements in children and young adult fiction from a writer's perspective.
Let's survey a story!

    Listening to these mentors, I feel like I can prove the negative stereotypes about girls like me wrong. That I can and will do more, be more.

    But when I leave? It happens again. The shattering.

    And this makes me wonder if a black girl's life is only about being stitched together and coming undone, being stitched together and coming undone.

    I wonder if there's ever a way for a girl like me to feel whole.

    Wonder if any of these women can answer that.

        - from PIECING ME TOGETHER, by Renée Watson, p. 86, uncorrected proof

What is emotional resonance, anyway? It's not just playing up an emotional angle within a narrative... it's allowing readers into the character's mind to understand as the character reacts, and to feel in concert with them. The emotion ...lingers, like a chord played on a piano seems to hang in the air. That this author is able to take such messy emotions dealing with race and empathy and class and create in them an entrance for the reader to access them and echo them is nothing short of amazing. This is truly some world-class writing, and while I'm not one for blethering on about awards before their season, I'd be surprised if this book didn't take home at least a few.

I was gifted to come to this book with little or no expectation, other than that it was a story about a black girl in Portland, Oregon. As Portland is historically racist and still struggling with that legacy, I expected something touching on that. Growing up on the West Coast, I've been a "model minority" in a culture which has surface expectations of us all "getting along," -- because we're not the South, after all -- but which underneath often has its own stinking brand of putrescence in the form of "genteel" racism and people able to explain away or turn a blind eye to things which don't directly impact them. (Yes, it's the same everywhere, but it is particularly interesting at times on the West Coast.) Having been that person who - of my own self - was doing pretty well, yet the color of my skin and general poverty and lack of opportunity made people want to jump in and save me, and having to negotiate my emotions surrounding my gratitude for the help and my resentment for its need, boy, do I relate to this book pretty strongly. Watson starts out with that idea of a black girl needing and getting help, and then just ....dives down deeper and deeper into it -- unpacking the ways in which black people judge each other and seem to ask each other to conform to a fracture idea of normal, as well as the ways in which "good" white people are so eager to "help" us that they are often blind to what we can give. If this sounds like it's too deep for a YA novel, though, it's not. Number one, there's really nothing too deep for a YA novel, if the writing and exposition is done well, and two, Watson has such range in terms of bringing something up and letting the character - and the reader - react to it that you find yourself with an unputdownable book.

That doesn't often happen to me. I found myself taking notes. How. Does. She. Do. That!? And I knew it had to do with how she skillfully lays out emotion.

Jade has already accepted that upward momentum in her life is going to mean getting up out of her neighborhood, but as she's already scholarshipped into a mostly-white school, she's wondering how much further "out" she's going to have to get. Her mother - her counselor at school - her teachers - all urge her to get involved in this and sign up for that, and she's constantly having Opportunity pressed on her, in the name of bettering herself -- as if she's not good enough -- and supporting her "at-risk" status, despite the fact that she makes A's and isn't at risk for much of anything - except living in her black neighborhood... and being black. Jade articulates the demeaning nature of so many of the offers and suggestions she receives -- here, honey, we don't want you to miss out on THIS thing which will take you further from your side of the city into where the other half lives obviously better lives. or Hey, Jade, why don't you sign up for THAT thing to help make you a better person, because you're obviously not enough now?

Jade's mentor is a young black woman, and even from her direction comes relentless, well-intentioned pressure. All around Jade are people who think she is a girl who needs saving, a girl in need of a lifeguard to fish her out of where she is, instead of a swimmer in need of someone swimming ahead, whose arms breaking the surf are close enough to see where to safely go. Jade does need a hand, but she's not sure she can trust her mentor's reach... not when the woman's so obviously messing up he own life. I love how Jade keeps her own counsel in this regard - she trusts whom she trusts, not who she's told has her best interests at heart.

    This is for the times when York told the Native Americans that he was a negro man, a black man. they didn't believe him. They took dirt, scrubbed his skin, trying to wipe the black off. I can just hear them asking,
    What are you?
    Where are you from?
    Why are you so dark?
    What happened to you?

    And he would tell them he was a black man, not dirty, not a supernatural being. A black man. But for some reason, they thought this man who had this same dark skin and big frame all his life didn't know his truth.
    "You're not black," they said.
    "Let me see," they said.
    "Does this hurt?" they said, as they tried to scrub his very existence away, erase his experience.

        - Watson, p. 191-2, uncorrected proof

One thing I love, additionally, is that Jade finds her own exits -- she NEVER loses her friendships with her cousin and her cohort from school. Despite the fact that they don't see each other often, they text and get together and still are friends. I so appreciate that Watson didn't strip Jade of her friendships in an attempt to make her look tragic, and then give her the clichéd One White Friend so that readers could see and understand that We Can All Just Get Along. And I appreciate that Jade has a falling out with her white friend, until they learn to be friends, until the friend learns to not turn away from what she hears, and until they both understand the importance of communication and sharing and listening, if friendships across races are going to be real and deep. (I don't even have adult relationships with that much potential, and I couldn't help but write myself a little note about This Is How You Do It.)

Secondly, I love how Jade and her crew have their art - whether through words or collage or drawing, they can all do something for themselves, to express themselves, whether they are in a wealthy & well funded district with plenty of opportunities, ...or not. Jade's art centers on what she's thinking, and so we see her respond to finding out the deeper history of Lewis & Clark, and how their story intersects with the history of where Jade lives, and how it eclipses the story of the Native woman, Sacajawea, and the black slave, York, who traveled and explored with them, doing twice the work for none of the respect. When Jade turns her art from her internal landscape into the external world, I love how the author uses her small offerings, together with those of her friends and cohort, to create a gift that changes and brings together a community.

Finally, I love how Jade explores language, how she looks through a wider lens at a greater world longs to go. The Spanish vocabulary words and pronunciation at the beginning of each chapter are wonderful - language and words are a code to get her out of the world she's in and open the door to elsewhere. These are all such relatable things for anyone, and yet they're also a specific flag waving at black readers, saying, "Pssst! The world is bigger than you think. There are new experiences around the corner - and around the globe. Get up, get out, GO." It is a message of hope and of momentum which just cheers me still.

    Sometimes I just want to be comfortable in this skin, this body. Want to cock my head back and laugh loud and free, all my teeth showing, and not be told I'm too rowdy, too ghetto. Sometimes I just want to go to school, wearing my hair big like cumulus clouds without getting any special attention, without having to explain why it looks different from the day before. Why it might look different tomorrow. Sometimes I just want to let my tongue speak the way it pleases, let it be untamed and not bound by rules. Want to talk without watchful ears listening to judge me. At school, I turn on a switch, make sure nothing about me is too black.

        - Watson, p. 199, uncorrected proof

This just hits me, on multiple levels of grief and longing and agreement -- and I think will hit readers of various ethnicities, sizes, and experiences as deeply and as poignantly as well. As their emotions are engaged and resonate, I expect them to spend some time thinking, and then get up, filled with these perhaps largely unarticulated, inchoate emotions, determined in some small way to do something with them, to change their world.

And that is the power of emotional resonance in an excellent novel.

I received my copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. After February 14, you can find PIECING ME TOGETHER by Renée Watson at an online e-tailer, or at a real life, independent bookstore near you!

The cover is beautiful  but makes the book feel juvenile instead of teen. I only made it about halfway through this book before I decided it's really not for me. I think I  get what Watson is going for in not telling us another realistic fiction story full of struggle in the ghetto, but everything  is too perfect. The rich kids are really the bad ones, everyone from the neighborhood is talented and kind and no one resents her? It doesn't feel real. 

What it does feel is didactic. The historical figures like York aren't worked in in a way that makes me think she would actually latch on as an artistic concept, it's literally a repeated school lesson. Same with a lot of the conversation in the book (like Sam being a good friend, where I  stopped reading). It feels like Sesame Street.

It isn't a bad book by anymeans, but really not  my cup of tea. It feels like the same attitude Jade is trying to rebel against in the book.

This will go live on my blog on Feb. 14. Kellyvision.wordpress.com

Jade has big dreams but she's not sure how to make them come true. She knows she wants to be an artist (she's currently into collages) and she knows she needs a scholarship to go to college. But...how to get from here to there? Enter a mentoring program. (Which is sort of helpful and sort of not). 

I loved this book. It's incredibly complicated (Jade is black and attends a mostly white school. Once she started going there, it's affected her relationships with her neighborhood friends. And it's hard to be friends with people at her school because they don't get it, either. 

Most people don't consider themselves racist. Racism is for people like Steve Bannon, right? But there are a lot of ways to be racist. Like, for example, assuming Jade is going to shoplift from a store and making her leave a bag when white women all over the same store are still toting theirs. 

This novel could start a lot of great conversations. Highly recommended.

An important and unflinching depiction of the experience of contemporary African American teens. At times the narrative was uncomfortable, but it was never dishonest.

~

A timely and powerful story about a teen girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.

Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Except really, it's for black girls. From "bad" neighborhoods. And just because Maxine, her college-graduate mentor, is black doesn't mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC from the publisher, Bloomsbury US Children's, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had this book sitting on my computer for a while, and I sincerely regret not opening the file sooner. First of all, the cover is perfect. Seriously, scroll up and look at it. It's perfect for this novel. Second of all, this book is the embodiment of the #blackgirlmagic tag, and I loved it.

Piecing Me Together is a novel about Jade, an unapologetically black teenager, who is trying to find her voice and place in the world. Jade is brilliant and earned a full ride to a very expensive, very white private school. She's also an amazing collage artist, which I loved, because that's an art form I haven't ever seen in books.

I would like to add a trigger warning for mentions of police brutality. It doesn't happen to any of our characters, but it's mentioned and causes Jade a lot of distress.

I loved that Jade was able to find herself, and change her world so that it was absolutely hers. I loved that she never lost her friendship with Lee Lee, and that Lee Lee was always there to build her back up when she needed it.

I also want to talk about Sam - the only main white character in this story. Her grandmother is openly racist, and neither she nor her grandfather ever challenge it on page.

There's a really great moment near the end of the story that I think a lot of white readers will learn from, on how to respond when you see a friend experience a microaggression. I think the reading experience of Piecing Me Together will also help white folks to understand how it feels when something like that happens. It's something we don't experience as much, and certainly not in the same way.

This book also featured fantastic black women of all sorts, talks about the challenges that black women and families face, and showed a way that teens can be active in social justice programs in their own ways. The ending of this book had me in tears, guys. I won't tell you what happens, but it's fantastic.

This was a five star read for me, and I cannot recommend it any more highly. You can pick up a copy through Amazon, Indiebound or your other favorite bookseller!

Five stars

~

RENÉE WATSON is the acclaimed author of the teen novel, This Side of Home, and two picture books: Harlem's Little Blackbird and A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, which was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her middle grade novel, What Momma Left Me debuted as an ABA New Voices Pick. She lives in New York City.
Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

There are so many things I loved about Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson. This book exemplifies the phrase Black Girl Magic and exposes it on all levels. Every character had their own issue to overcome and every character was a piece of the puzzle that created the masterpiece of Jade, I love that this book is about self empowerment, black female encouragement and didn't portray men or boys as the main character's obstacle. Jade was a gifted urban youth who needed to find her footing and who needed to be connected with others to do so. This book may be written for teens but I believe adult readers will also be inspired by the story.

This is a quick, important read that honestly and naturally confronts issues of racism, classism, sexism, and sizeism through the lens of Jade, a singular, confident narrator who refuses (despite what she sometimes thinks of herself) to back down before any of the above. Also woven through the story are police brutality, respectability politics, and the challenges of friendship, and it's unflinching and awesome. I'm grateful to Renée Watson for writing it and so glad I had the chance to read it. Also: I'll be recommend it to everyone I know, so consider yourself warned.

Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love books - for many, many reasons. Therefore I give a lot of 5 star ratings. However there are a handful of books that remind me why I love them. This book is one of them. 
There is so much to say about this book, I could go on and on about it. Yet rather than go on and on, I will focus my review on the three most relevant reasons I love this book. 1) The writing - the writing was so beautiful in this book and yet does so without the author seeming to work at it. I often would find myself having read a section or specific sentence and think - wow, that was beautiful. It wasn't flowery vocabulary or complex sentences. It was just words crafted together in such a way it makes your heart ache if necessary or relate with understanding. 2) The characterization. There is a little bit of Jade in everyone. It doesn't matter that I am over twice Jade's age, and a white woman, I felt like Jade. I felt what it's like to be "thick," what it's like to struggle financially, what it's like to know you need to take help whether you want to or not. And, I know what it is like to have found my voice. This is the case for all individuals, regardless of who they are - man, woman, rich, poor, black, white, old, or young. There is a little bit of Jade in all of us. (Side note - I felt this for all of the characters. I loved Jade's mother and felt like I wanted to have tea and talk about how hard it is to want everything for your child). 3) The messages - I love the messages in this book. I loved the conversations of race. I loved the conversations about size. I loved the conversations about friendship. I loved the conversations about family.  And I love the message of power in voice. 
Typically in a review, I give a brief summary.  In short, this is book addresses issues of race and police brutality and blending cultures, and learning to be proud of who you are and where you came from. No summary can do this book justice.  You need to read it. Perhaps if more people read books like this, more people would be willing to talk about the injustices that ARE happening. They would be more willing to talk a stand against these injustices.   
This is a must read.

This is rich, multilayered novel that deals with timely themes. I appreciate the way it focuses on different female relationships, each of which has great benefits and also challenges for the main character, rather than having female friendships feel like they take a back seat to romance. A satisfying, relatable story that will entertain readers and give them a lot to think about.

This book truly took my breath away. It’s an artistic masterpiece that may be rethink how I interpret things. I went into this book extremely excited to be reading an ownvoices book with a black MC. And honestly, I couldn't get over how authentic and lyrical this voice sounds. 

Our main protagonist, Jade is a student at a mostly white high school, who is living in a suburb of Portland and all she wants to do is succeed and travel and be able to express herself in art. She’s accepted the scholarships that come her way, and applied herself to SAT prep, all the usual. Her single mother and her live in a “bad” or impoverished neighborhood and so her school counselor considers her “at risk” so she suggests a Women to Women mentorship program.

Covering issues of race, discrimination,art, friendship, and feminism this book opens your eyes to different environments and how they affect who lives there. I just honestly can’t get over how wide-spanning this book it, and how much it meant for me to be able to read it! 

The female friendships in this story were so solid, that I wanted Jade to come over here and be my friend. Although there are many struggles with communication, at the end Jade learns to speak up for herself so that the others can understand what she’s feeling in response to the things that are happening around her. Happily, I noticed an immediate undertone of feminism, for how Jade act day-to-day and what the mentorship program was teaching her. 

Also, there was a lot of components mentioned about identify. I believe that Jade mentions herself a “thick” person, and how she doesn’t see herself represented in media that often. There are fat-positive messages that are in play here, and I could really appreciate that because I know that there’s a need for more of these types of narratives. 

I came to truly root for her as a character, I wanted her to be a successful artist that loved making her black art while still helping support her mother. I came to admire her strength in the face of micro-aggression and oppression that she faced on a daily basis. I came to love her creativity and deep insight into the collages and art that she created. Basically, I fell in love with Jade and I feel like she is a character that will stay close in my mind.

There are no words to describe the reading experience of this book, except when you truly step into someone else's shoes and look through their glasses, you feel that type of life-changing empathy that in turn changes you.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own.**