Piecing Me Together

Piecing Me Together

YA fiction
"For the first two songs, all I can think about is that white
woman's smiling face, her annoying voice. And even though we're all
dressed up in our new clothes, even though none of us has opened our
mouth and talked to her, she thought we were the kind of kids who
wouldn't appreciate classical music. Makes me feel like no matter how
dressed up we are, no matter how respectful we are, some people will
only see what they want to see."
Jade, protagonist of Renee Watson's Piecing Me Together, is a
talented collage artist and high school student shuttling between two
very different worlds. Home is where her domestic worker mom
struggles to put food on the table and her uncle sleeps on a fold out
couch in the living room. Most of the students in her school wouldn't
dare set foot in her neighborhood. Their families have maids. As you
may have guessed, she's black and they're white.
Jade has her heart set on a study abroad program. When she's
summoned to her guidance counselor's office, she has high hopes. Only
what she's been selected for is Woman to Woman: A Mentorship Program
for African American Girls. The guidance counselor is looking to
offset the risk she sees in Jade's "set of circumstances." Although
Jade is not crazy about participating, completing the program will
earn her a college scholarship.
"But girls like me, with coal skin and hula hoop hips, whose
mommas barely make enough money to keep food in the house, have to
take opportunities every chance we get."
Will Jade be able to show that she isn't fundamentally flawed,
that she can give as well as receive?
Read the book and see.
On a personal note, I just got my first week's dining services work
schedule. The spring (in name only weather wise) semester starts in a
matter of days. As much as I've been enjoying vaca I'm ready to get
back into my routine. I really miss my friends and my work family.
Of course that also means going back to posting one review a week.
Over break I've had the chance to be more generous. I've also read
and written more books which I will share in the weeks and months to
come.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with the hope that
2019 has started off as well for you as it has for me.
jules hathaway



Sent from my iPod