Piecing Me Together, by Renée Watson

tener éxito: to succeed
“When I learned the Spanish word for succeed, I thought it was kind of ironic that the word exit is embedded in it” (Jade, p. 2).

Jade Butler is, by her own definition, plain. She is a black teenager from the impoverished, hardscrabble North Portland area, beginning her junior year in high school. She is a talented collage artist, and she is brilliant, spending much time in the library tutoring her fellow students. 

“Lots of people can’t find beauty in my neighborhood, but I can. Ever since elementary school, I’ve been making beauty out of everyday things – candy wrappers, pages of newspaper, receipts, rip-outs from magazines. I cut and tear, arrange and rearrange, and glue them down, morphing them into something no one else thought they could be. Like me. I’m ordinary too” (Jade, p. 10).

Piecing Me Together is the Newberry Honor, Coretta Scott King Award winning novel by Renée Watson. It is the story of Jade Butler. Jade is ambitious and strives for success. She takes advantage of every opportunity made available to her. She is a scholarship recipient, and every morning, takes a long bus ride from her neighborhood, in North Portland, to St. Francis, an elite private high school in the city. Essentially, Jade travels from one world to another every day. What she wants is to make it out of her neighborhood and to do something important. St. Francis offers a travel program which would allow her to work in other countries, helping small communities in need. She wants to go to Argentina or Costa Rica. She wants to be part of a program that’s about what she can give rather than what she needs. Instead, the school offers her a place in a mentorship program for African-American girls called Woman to Woman. She’s not excited about the prospect, but never refuses a potential opportunity. Through the program she is introduced to successful women who inspire her in many ways, but when a young girl, her own age, in a nearby neighborhood, is assaulted by police and hospitalized, Jade is disturbed by the fact that no one in her St. Francis world seems to be troubled by the news. In her neighborhood, it is a frightening and all too common occurrence. She decides to utilize her newfound contacts and rallies her friends to organize a social justice event and fundraising benefit to raise awareness of the recent tragedy.

This is a story mirroring current events in our nation. It deals with elements of race relations, prejudice, injustice, non-violent social activism, and the power of women in society. These are all topics in need of discussion in today’s classrooms.

We see Jade, as brilliant as she is at the beginning of the story, grow and change throughout the school year. Other characters grow and change alongside her. Indeed, there are few, if any, flat characters in the novel. Although there is no suspenseful, action-packed burst of conflict and resolution in the story, it unfolds gently and intelligently. The reader comes to know and care for the characters, and is better for having read Jade’s story.

I would rate this story 4 out of 5 possible points. It is extremely well-written and an important story. 

Renée Watson is a New York City author who has written middle school, adolescent, and young adult novels, as well as picture books. She teaches creative writing and theater in public schools and community centers across the country. She also teaches courses at the University of New Haven and at Pine Manor College. She is involved with several literary organizations and community involvement projects. Watson grew up in Portland, Oregon.

Author's Website