Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson

Piecing Me Together is about an African American high school adolescent girl named Jade Butler from Oregon. She lives in North Portland, a poorer part of the City of Portland. Jade goes to St. Francis High School, where most kids are white and wealthy. The school makes Jade feel isolated because she cannot relate to most other students' lives. Soon, Jade is allowed to join a program mentorship program for African American women, but this only leads to further isolation issues towards her mentor. Jade eventually learns to advocate for herself and combines her artistic side with social justice leading to a promising future. A story unlike any other that "offers a nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality." ("High school junior Jade," 2017)

Critical Analysis

Piecing Me Together is a fiction novel told in the first person and an easy read. Jade's character is strong, independent, honest, and responsible. Themes include race, friendship, and class. Jade's cultural experiences are distinct from her friends and neighbors because she attends a school with students above her socio-economic background. Similarly, it is authentic because it shows how Jade's white friend Sam cannot believe that Jade faces racial discrimination, a standard split in today's society.

The setting is consistent with contemporary times due to technology like cell phones, digital cameras, and photo printers. Overall, the story is rich in cultural details through the shared connections of skin color, hair, music, dress, and various other areas. Also, it is an excellent source for reflecting on and analyzing the racial divide within society. Renee Watson won the Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Award for Piecing Me Together.

The story's strength is its ability to highlight current social issues like discrimination and social-economic issues. Its weakness is that we do not get to see Jade grow up. Teachers can use this to highlight social justice issues or if specific incidents occur within the community. Readers may enjoy Free Lunch by Rex Ogle, a similar story about a boy coming from a poor socio-economic background trying to fit into a wealthy school district.

References

"High school junior Jade". (2017, January 12). Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson: SLJ Review. School Library Journal. Retrieved June 19, 2022, from https://www.slj.com/story/piecing-me-together-by-renee-watson-slj-review

Watson, R. (2017). Piecing Me Together. Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books.