Red at the Bone
By Jacqueline Woodson
"Two families from different social classes are joined together by an unexpected pregnancy and the child that it produces. As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody's mother, for her own ceremony -- a celebration that ultimately never took place." - HELM
Why was this book challenged?
Banned book element tile
Reasons: Sexual Content, Race, LGBTQIA+
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson was one of 11 books censored and removed at the Leander Independent School District in 2021, in response to parental concerns. This effort garnered national attention and led to other challenge and ban efforts at schools across the country.
See our Frequently Asked Questions webpage to learn more about the differences between a challenge and a ban.
Ways to read this book at STCC!
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Additional Resources and Accessibility
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