Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner
is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood
in mesmerizing verse.
A President Obama "O" Book Club pick
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home
in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as
an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of
Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.
Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally
charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her
place in the world. Woodson's eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of
finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she
struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and
stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was
to become.
Includes 7 additional poems, including "Brown Girl Dreaming."
Praise for Jacqueline Woodson:
"Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young
people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story
. . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and
self-discovery."--The New York Times Book Review