Piecing Me Together

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson is a fantastic young adult novel. It’s filled with a bundle of mystery, and internal and external conflicts! Jade is an African American student who receives a scholarship to a predominantly white private school and truly goes through the full experience at her high school, St. Francis. Jade is from the poorer side of a town in Oregon but she doesn’t let this stop her from working towards opportunities. She finds herself feeling out of place a lot and struggles with making friends. Jade’s guidance counselor gives her an opportunity to meet with other girls and have a mentor who graduated from St. Francis. Through her mentor Maxine, Jade receives opportunities to showcase her artwork and work with others. While she’s working with Maxine she continues to make friends and gain popularity. She has a quite rocky relationship with Maxine but realizes Maxine is trying her best to advocate for Jade. At the end of the book, Jade attends a huge art gallery where one of her pieces could potentially be sold. Many were so amazed at her work. At this moment Jade finally felt recognized. An older gentleman bought her artwork. I truly recommend this book because the author perfectly portrayed issues of race, gender, and identity from a teen girl’s perspective and how she overcame them.