A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Watson, Renée. (2018). Piecing me together. Bloomsbury.
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Piecing Me Together is a story about a young African-American girl named Jade who attends a private school outside of Portland in hopes of eventually going to college and traveling the world. Early on in the book, she is selected to participate in a program called Woman to Woman, where she meets her new mentor, Maxine. After an initial meeting where Maxine fails to show up, the two get to know each other better at Jade's house. Jade shares her love of art and some of her collages with Maxine, who mentions that her sister is an artist and owns a studio downtown. The program also offers Jade the chance to go on different outings with Maxine - to museums, concerts, and bookstores.
While Maxine tries to be helpful to Jade throughout the story, Jade has a constant feeling of being Maxine's project or a pity case. Everywhere she turns - at school, with her friends, out in public - Jade struggles with her identity and with speaking up for herself. She eventually befriends a white girl at her school named Sam, who also has to take the bus from her home in Northern Portland. The two girls form a friendship, but it is not without its ups-and-downs. One day while shopping with Sam, Jade is confronted by a sales clerk and asked to leave the store after a disagreement. Jade tells Sam all of this took place due to the fact that Jade is black, but Sam shakes it off as if she is overreacting. Not long after, a young girl named Natasha is hospitalized and in critical condition after being beaten by police at a house party. Jade struggles with this event, thinking that it could have been her or anyone she knows instead of Natasha.
Jade continues creating her art, and after speaking up to Maxine about some problems with the Woman to Woman program, they agree to host an event at Maxine's sister's art studio. Jade has a piece of art on display at the event, and she receives a lot of attention from others at the gallery before her piece is finally purchased. Sam and Jade eventually make up, and with the help of some teachers and Jade's friend Lee Lee, the girls decide to host an open mic night to raise money for Natasha's family. They get several of the people who attended the first gallery to come, as well as local students and even Natasha's parents.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I thought Renee Watson did a wonderful job of depicting different types of "blackness" and how much of a struggle it is to try and fit in with different groups of people. Jade struggles with her identity for much of the story, trying to find a balance between being who she is and trying to survive in a society ruled by white people. The differences we see between Jade and Maxine's families shows readers that there is no one way to be black in America. The fact that Jade and Maxine are both taught to "tone down" their blackness at times was difficult to read, but not an unsurprising piece of their story. No matter how successful you are or how big your house is, people are still treated differently for the color of their skin in this country.
Piecing Me Together also dove into the issue of systemic racism and police brutality with the beating of Natasha Ramsey at the house party. Having been written before the awful events of 2020, including the George Floyd and Brianna Taylor murders, I can't help but wonder what Jade would have felt during that time. I can only imagine that she had the chance to travel the world her senior year as a part of the Study Abroad program, and now she is off in college putting together another open mic or art gallery in support of the BLM movement. I felt overwhelmed reading about the event at the end of the story, especially knowing that Natasha's parents were in attendance. For being so young, it was impressive that Jade and her friends could come together and put on something truly special. EJ mentions during the book that, "prayer is just the poor man's drug." Jade thought about what happened, reflected on it, prayed about it, and eventually did something to help out. And when she did that, she was surprised at how many different people showed up. Jade really learned that speaking up for herself and taking charge really can make a difference in the world.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Jade’s narrative voice offers compelling reflections on the complexities of race and gender, class and privilege, and fear and courage, while conveying the conflicted emotions of an ambitious, loyal girl. Teeming with compassion and insight, Watson’s story trumpets the power of artistic expression to re-envision and change the world."
--Publishers Weekly
"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. . . . A timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the power of art, community, and friendship."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Questions of race, self-acceptance, and self-worth are the focus of this book and will give young women a chance to realize that they are worthwhile just being themselves. . . . all students . . . would benefit from reading this book."
--School Library Connection
E. CONNECTIONS
Readers who enjoyed this book might also enjoy:
Fievre, M.J. Badass black girl: Questions, quotes, and affirmations for teens. ISBN 1642501727.
Williams, Alicia D. Genesis begins again. ISBN 1481465813.
Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown girl dreaming. ISBN 9780147515827.
Zoboi, Ibi. American street. ISBN 0062473050.
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