Review: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson!

EDUCATE & SUPPORT DURING THIS TIME:

• George Floyd Memorial Fund
• Black Lives Matter: Fund the Movement
• Use this Google Doc to support UK charities working with BAME communities

*****************************************************************

Spoiler Free Review

Title: Piecing Me Together

Author: Renee Watson

Published: Bloomsbury, 2017

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Pages: 277

Goodreads

***

(from Goodreads): A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson.

Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. 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.

But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her 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.

***

Guys, this book. This book was so moving, so brilliant. And so timely for what we’re currently going through.

This read reminded me of The Hate U Give in quite a few ways, but where that book was loud, this book was quiet – and yet both are so powerful in their own way. This book raised so many important questions about what it means to be black, to live in a black community, and how dealing with everyday micro-aggressions can make a person feel.

Jade was such a interesting character. I loved how she knew what she wanted, how she was very articulate about the problems she faced, and how she steadily grew more sure of herself and stood up for what was right. Some of my favourite passages in this book were the fierce, unapologetic conversations between characters about the differences in class and the experiences they’d been given. So much of this book was clever and thought-provoking. So needed.

Finally, the writing was so gorgeous. I can’t believe I’ve not read any Renee Watson until now. So beautiful, so poetic. I’ll definitely be reaching for more of her writing soon. And I’d really recommend the audio book. It was a joy to listen to!

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars!

If you’re reaching for reads to educate yourself during this time like I am, I’d definitely recommend this one. Such an important read.

Happy reading, all!