REVIEW OF PIECING ME TOGETHER
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Watson,
Renee. PIECING ME TOGETHER. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 978-1- 68119-107-2.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Jade is an African American girl who lives in Portland, Oregon. She attends a
school for rich, white people on the other side of town from where she lives.
She is able to attend the school through a scholarship that pays her tuition to
the school. Her mom works as a personal assistant (housekeeper) to an elderly
person. They
live with her mom’s brother.
Jade has
two interests. She makes collages as a hobby. Her other interest is her dream
to someday travel and see the world. She is hoping to be included in a
school-sponsored study abroad event.
At school
there is an adult who tries to help Jade. One activity that she arranges for
Jade is mentorship with a successful adult who had attended the school years
previously. The mentor’s name is Maxine.
Jade’s
best friend is from her neighborhood. Her name is Lee Lee. Other than Lee Lee,
Jade doesn’t have many good friends. One day Jade makes friends with a white girl
named Sam at the school. They ride the same bus to school.
One day
Jade goes with Sam to her home for a visit. Sam lives with her grandparents.
They are not upper class like most of the families of other students in the
school. Jade and Sam realize they are in the same boat and are glad that they
have each other as friends.
Ever since
Jade has started going to this school, she has been focused on one goal, to go
on the school study abroad program. One day her friend Sam finds out that she
has been accepted to go on the program. Jade is devastated that she has not
been accepted into the program. This moment marks the beginning of the end of
their friendship. They start to cool off toward each other.
When Sam
returns from the study abroad trip, she and Jade do not renew their friendship.
However, one day in Spanish class they are paired together in an activity. They
talk about their friendship, and renew it. Eventually, it becomes stronger than
before.
Jade, Lee
Lee, and Sam plan an event to mark the importance of an event that had happened
in their community. A young woman had been the victim of police brutality. To
draw attention to it, they decide to host an event at a local art gallery. The
event is successful.
C.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The author does a good job of catching the feeling of being one of a few
African Americans in a mostly white, upper-class school. At the beginning of the
book Jade’s mom is, once again, discussing making friends at the school. This
is obviously not easy considering the differences in the cultures involved.
Jade knows another African American girl with whom she discussed braids and
hair styles; but, being in different grades, they haven’t developed much of a
friendship.
One of the
white adults at Jade’s school has grandchildren who are half white and half
African American. Upon seeing them in photographs wearing sports jerseys
depicting Native Americans being used as a team symbol, Jade ponders how a
culture and history can become a mascot. She thinks about the paradox of a
member of a minority wearing clothing such as this.
The same
adult stereotypes Jade as just another African American girl who needs positive
role models in her life, so she nominates Jade for a program that pairs African
American female students with successful African American women. While the
adult is well-meaning, it nonetheless demonstrates the lack of awareness in the
white community regarding the diversity of life experiences in the African
American community.
The author
does an excellent job of sharing verbal descriptions of the different people in
the book. “She’s tall and thin and the darkest shade of black. Her hair is
braided in tiny singles and pinned up in a bun.”
The
settings in the story are accurate and contemporary. Locations mentioned in the
story such as Peninsula Park, St. John’s Bridge, Powell’s Bookstore, Portland
Art Museum, Emanuel Hospital, Columbia Park, Portland Rescue Mission, Cathedral
Park, the Pearl District, and the Esplanade are real places that actually
exist. Using these locations in the book adds additional meaning to the story.
Coming
from a poor family, Jade has to ride the bus everywhere she needs or wants to
go in Portland. The experiences she has while riding the bus highlight a part
of life that many people who own cars never experience. These experiences add
additional meaning to the story.
America
is, for the most part, designed for white people. The author points this out in
a number of ways including the struggles that African Americans have with
finding their way through a white America. For instance, one character points
out that her first year at college, away from home, was difficult. “But after I
found my spots – where to get the hair products I like, a black church, you
know, the essentials – I was good.”
The author
does an excellent job of showing Jade’s point of view many times throughout the
book. The time that stands out most to me is her point of view regarding not
being selected for the study abroad program. The irony is rich. She doesn’t get
selected because she has already been selected for other programs, but those
were programs that she didn’t really want to be part of, especially the
mentor-mentee program.
D. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Coretta
Scott King Author Award Winner (2018)
Josette
Frank Award Winner (2018)
Newbery
Medal Honor Book (2018)
Kirkus: *Starred
Review* “Sixteen-year-old
Jade dreams of success beyond her neighborhood despite the prejudices that
surround her. For two years, Jade has been a scholarship student at a
predominantly white private high school where she is one of few
African-American students—the only one from her “bad” neighborhood in Portland,
Oregon. Jade’s mom struggles to make ends meet. At school, Jade has many
opportunities, steppingstones to move beyond her neighborhood someday, maybe
even travel the world. But sometimes these opportunities and her white guidance
counselor make Jade feel like a charity case. Junior year brings yet another
opportunity that leaves Jade feeling judged and pitied: the Woman to Woman
mentorship program, which promises a full college scholarship to mentees.
Jade’s mentor, Maxine, is both well-intentioned and also black, but she’s from
a wealthy family. Jade chafes against the way Maxine treats her as though she
needs to be saved. Through Jade’s insightful and fresh narration, Watson presents
a powerful story that challenges stereotypes about girls with “coal skin and
hula-hoop hips” who must contend with the realities of racial profiling and
police brutality. Jade’s passion for collage and photography help her to find
her voice and advocate not only for herself, but for her community. A timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the
power of art, community, and friendship.”
Horn
Book Magazine: “At her mother's prodding, Jade has spent
her high school career preparing herself for success. That has included taking
every opportunity offered to her: a scholarship to the prestigious (and mostly
white; Jade is African American) St. Francis High School. SAT prep classes.
Essay-writing classes. While Jade has accepted every offer, she wonders who
benefits more--she herself, or the people who get to boast that they've helped
an "at-risk" girl from a "bad" neighborhood. While she does
have financial and social issues to contend with at home, Jade is also fluent
in Spanish and a talented artist; she doesn't particularly feel at-risk. When
her guidance counselor suggests a "Woman to Woman" mentoring group,
Jade is hopeful that her mentor will take the time to get to know her. But
Maxine proves to be as clueless as the rest of them--when she even bothers to
pay attention or show up. With no one willing to ask the questions to discover
who she truly is, Jade realizes she will have to take the initiative and
introduce herself to the world--and, in turn, create her own opportunities.
Just as Jade is engrossed in her history-class study of York, the slave who
accompanied Lewis and Clark, Watson (This Side of Home) takes Jade on her own
journey of self-discovery, one that readers will avidly follow. With each
chapter preceded by a Spanish word or phrase, this involving, thought-provoking
novel is a multifaceted and clear-eyed exploration into the intersections of
race, class, and gender.”
School
Library Journal: *Starred Review* “High school junior Jade is
an “at-risk” student from a rough neighborhood in Portland, OR. She is also a
talented collage artist, and she attends an elite private school on
scholarship. More than anything, she wants to go on a study abroad week offered
at her school to use her Spanish skills. Instead, she is given an invitation to
join Woman to Woman, a mentorship program for young women like her: poor and
black. Her mentor, Maxine, is from a more privileged background, and Jade
doesn’t see what she can learn from her. But in spite of her early resistance
to Maxine, Jade begins to open up and gain confidence, and, eventually, she is
able to express the importance of her family, her community, and her art. The
two strong female characters and the ways in which they struggle with and
support each other form the center of this tale. Most young people will relate
to Jade’s search to find her voice and learn to advocate for herself in
appropriate ways. The lack of a romantic lead may leave some young teen readers
disappointed, but there is a real, refreshing strength in a fully fleshed-out
female character whose story is her own. This is a memorable novel that
demonstrates that a happy ending doesn’t require a romantic subplot. VERDICT This
unique and thought-provoking title offers a nuanced meditation on race,
privilege, and intersectionality. A first purchase for YA collections.”
Booklist: ““Who owns the river and the
line, and the hook, and the worm?” wonders Jade, a scholarship kid at
Portland’s prestigious St. Francis High. Through her first two years of school,
she’s had to balance her home life in a poor neighborhood with her life at a
school populated mostly by rich white kids. When offered a mentorship for
at-risk girls (which includes a full college scholarship), she jumps at the
opportunity to learn how to be a successful black woman. However, she soon
suspects that her mentor, Maxine, may only have a superficial understanding of
Jade’s challenges and that there may be things Jade can teach her.
Watson is unafraid to show Jade as a young woman who is resilient and mature
for her age, but also plagued by self-doubt. The book itself is a balancing act
between class, race, and social dynamics, with Watson constantly undercutting
stereotypes and showing no fear in portraying virtues along with vices. The
book’s defiance of a single-issue lens will surely inspire discussion and
consideration.”
E. CONNECTIONS
This story is about friendship, family, and making one’s way in the world,
whether you’re a teenager coming of age, or an adult still trying to figure out
how to make it all work out.
Here are some other books about
friendship, family, and making one’s way through the world:
Watson, Renee. LOVE IS A REVOLUTION. ISBN 978-1547600601
Zoboi, Ibi, editor. BLACK ENOUGH: STORIES OF BEING YOUNG & BLACK IN AMERICA. ISBN 978-0062698728
Watson, Renee and Hagan, Ellen. WATCH US RISE. ISBN 978-1547603114
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