Review Summaries

• The narration is valued for holding the protagonist's anger and hope together. Without becoming didactic, it follows her careful movement toward naming her place in the world through friendship and art.

Reviews

• I liked the way the author wove the story. I love the message of empowerment to young people of any orientation.

• Oh, how I loved this book. Jade's voice is SO strong and compelling and real. I loved, loved, loved her in all of her strength and vulnerability and passion. I can't imagine anyone who's ever felt like a misfit in their own surroundings *not* identifying with her deeply emotional - and uplifting - story! I loved all the other characters too, and the complexity of their relationships. I loved the way that Jade learned to trust in her own voice and speak up for herself by the end of the book. The political themes are really powerful and moving, but most of all, Jade's own voice just grabbed me so hard from page 1, and I was rooting for her all throughout the book - which was so absorbing, so gorgeously written and so infused with intense emotion, I could NOT put it down. I devoured the whole thing within a day, and I know I'll be re-reading it many, many times in the future (and giving it as a gift, too). I fell absolutely in love with Renée Watson's writing in this book, and now I want to read everything else she's written, too! Highly, highly recommended.

• Piecing Me Together is one of those books that gives me...thoughts. Of course, all good books make you think in some way, even if they primarily entertain you. But Piecing Me Together is one of those where, if I don't get the thoughts out, they're going to stay tingling in my hands and elbows and chest until I get heartburn and start to feel that my skin is the only thing keeping me from going everywhere at once. Ah-heh-hem. I didn't actually set out to read this book. I'm in my thirties, it's a YA novel, and I feel like I should be "too old" for YA. But the summary fascinated me when I first found it a year ago. And then, after the death of George Floyd, I reached out to a couple of black friends, asking them to help me understand, because I want to get beyond "I have black friends." Being a bookworm, having a physical disability that means I can't drive or do many activities, reading also felt like a good way to do this. So here I am. I have to say, I'm still a bit gobsmacked. The book itself, as a book, is great. Jade Butler is an authentically teen character. I wasn't her growing up, but I probably passed girls like her in the halls every day and just never knew it because well, we were all solving our own problems. I love Jade's voice, the way she loves art, and the way she stands up for herself. She won't stand for anyone feeling sorry for her, even if it means giving up "opportunities." Because after all, if you don't make the opportunity, whose opportunity is it? Whose conscience is being salved? Who is benefiting? And that's where Jade and I intersect. I'm white--let's just say it, porcelain. Fair Irish. Southern conservative family. With those stats, you might think I'm the enemy of the average black person--and maybe I am. I've sure felt like it before, even though I despise racism, even though I love gospel music and have black friends and all that. (Because, SO WHAT). But, I was also a highly gifted student who grew up with cerebral palsy--and I still have cerebral palsy. And I was offered a lot of "opportunities" that translated meant, "Let's fix you." Other girls got to go to New York and Gettysburg and the Dominican Republic; I was considered privileged to get to go to Gatlinburg, TN (a few hours away, with family, with supervision) or get to go to Taco Bell with a "mixed-ability" group on a school day. ("Mixed ability" because the others were cognitively/mentally disabled, and allowed or encouraged to treat me as a person to "care for," like correcting how I ate). So when those types of things happened to Jade...no, I'm not black. But I got that tingly heartburn sensation. As for the microaggressions Jade experienced, especially with Ms. Weber and Mr. Flores, and the reaction--or lack of reaction--from Sam? Well, OOF! Because on the one hand, again, I can identify on some level. But on the other, as a white woman, I have either said or thought, "Not everything is about race" or "Why is everything about race?" Well, now I know. It's the same reason I get mad when I hear, "Everything is about disability to her." It's because you can't take your skin off, dang it. And I applaud Sam for recognizing she has a lot to learn. I don't know how to solve the racial, ability-based, or other issues our country is facing right now. What I do know is that it involves listening to voices like Jade's and Lee Lee's. It involves appreciating, and listening to, the art and the writing and the stories found in everyone. It involves getting beyond the silly veneers of mentorships and clubs like Woman to Woman, and being real. Lee Lee's poem at the end, for instance--if that doesn't do something to you, I don't know what will. Kudos to Renee Watson for writing a wonderful book and helping me understand a bit better. Kudos to Miss Jade Butler as well. We need more books like this...if only the authors could write them fast enough.

• Once I purchased the novel, I couldn't wait to start reading it and when I started, I found it somewhat sad but interesting at the same time. I admire the character and how determined she is to go forward in life despite challenges and struggles at the same time. It is worth reading this novel.

• IT'S A GOOD READING, AND IT TEACHES GIRLS TO NEVER GIVE UP ON THEIR DREAMS .

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