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Piecing Me Together Hardcover – February 14, 2017

by Renée Watson (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,047 ratings
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Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
New York Times bestseller
"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson
"Important and deeply moving." --John Green

Acclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.

Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.

NPR’s Best Books of 2017
A 2017 New York Public Library Best Teen Book of the Year
Chicago Public Library’s Best Books of 2017
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2017
Kirkus Reviews’ Best Teen Books of 2017
2018 Josette Frank Award Winner

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    11 - 13 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    272 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    680L
  6. Dimensions
    5.75 x 0.95 x 8.6 inches
  7. Publisher
    Bloomsbury USA Childrens
  8. Publication date
    February 14, 2017
  9. ISBN-10
    1681191059
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1681191058
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—High school junior Jade is an "at-risk" student from a rough neighborhood in Portland, OR. She is also a talented collage artist, and she attends an elite private school on scholarship. More than anything, she wants to go on a study abroad week offered at her school to use her Spanish skills. Instead, she is given an invitation to join Woman to Woman, a mentorship program for young women like her: poor and black. Her mentor, Maxine, is from a more privileged background, and Jade doesn't see what she can learn from her. But in spite of her early resistance to Maxine, Jade begins to open up and gain confidence, and, eventually, she is able to express the importance of her family, her community, and her art. The two strong female characters and the ways in which they struggle with and support each other form the center of this tale. Most young people will relate to Jade's search to find her voice and learn to advocate for herself in appropriate ways. The lack of a romantic lead may leave some young teen readers disappointed, but there is a real, refreshing strength in a fully fleshed-out female character whose story is her own. This is a memorable novel that demonstrates that a happy ending doesn't require a romantic subplot. VERDICT This unique and thought-provoking title offers a nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality. A first purchase for YA collections.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Review

"Watson’s elegantly crafted novel speaks to the myriad of people who find themselves searching for themselves in the world. Timely and timeless, Piecing Me Together is a book about the ways young people deal with the hardships and heartbreak of everyday living while remaining whole and true to themselves. There is a little bit of Jade in all of us. As she and the rest of Watson’s characters jumped off the page and into my heart, I found myself again and again, remembering this." - Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING

"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at the toxicity of sympathy, the unquenchable thirst of fear, and the life-changing power of voice and opportunity, all wrapped up in Jade--the coolest young lady in the world. Or at least, in Portland, Oregon. Simply, Piecing Me Together is a book you'll want to hug!" - Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling and award-winning coauthor of ALL AMERICAN BOYS

"An important and deeply moving novel. Highly recommended." - John Green, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

"A nuanced story about girls navigating the landmines of others’ good intentions, Piecing Me Together will make readers wrestle with every assumption they have about race, economic class, and so-called at-risk kids. An honest look at how girls stitch together their talents to find their voice and power. Renee Watson is a top-rate storyteller about what impacts young women today." - Meg Medina, award-winning author of BURN BABY BURN

"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." - starred review, 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." - starred review, Kirkus Reviews

"This unique and thought-provoking title offers a nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality." - starred review, School Library Journal

"A thoughtful testament to the value of growth and of work, of speaking up and of listening, that will resonate with many readers engaged in 'discovering what we are really capable of.'" - starred review, BCCB

"A balancing act between class, race, and social dynamics, with Watson constantly undercutting stereotypes and showing no fear in portraying virtues along with vices. The book’s defiance of a single-issue lens will surely inspire discussion and consideration." - Booklist

"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

"Watson’s story explores a number of important ideas: the challenges and rewards of interracial friendships, the realities of racial stereotyping, and the expression of ideas and emotions through art . . . Jade’s is an important voice." - VOYA

"Watson takes Jade on her own journey of self-discovery, one that readers will avidly follow. With each chapter preceded by a Spanish word or phrase, this involving, thought-provoking novel is a multifaceted and clear-eyed exploration into the intersections of race, class, and gender." - The Horn Book Magazine

"Writing with the artfulness and insights of African American teen-lit pioneers Rita Williams-Garcia, Angela Johnson, and Jacqueline Woodson, Watson shows Maya exploring concerns rarely made this accessible . . . essential for all collections." - starred review, Booklist on THIS SIDE OF HOME

"Watson paints a thoughtful, powerful picture of the complications of contemporary African-American experience, especially when it rubs up against the hipster middle class." - starred review, BCCB on THIS SIDE OF HOME

"An intriguing look at how families and young people cope with community and personal change. . . . Here's hoping Watson's teen debut will be followed by many more." - Kirkus Reviews on THIS SIDE OF HOME

"Watson delivers a well-rounded, delicate, and important story without sacrificing any heart. An engrossing and timely coming-of-age story." - SLJ on THIS SIDE OF HOME

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA Childrens (February 14, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1681191059
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1681191058
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 11 - 13 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 680L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.95 x 8.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,047 ratings

About the author

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Renée Watson

Renée Watson

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Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author of books for young readers. Her books have sold over one million copies. Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Honor. Her children's picture books and novels for teens have received several awards and international recognition. Many of her books are inspired by her experiences growing up as a Black girl in the Pacific Northwest. Her poetry and fiction center around the experiences of Black girls and explore themes of home, identity, body image, and the intersections of race, class, and gender.

She has given readings and lectures at many renown places including the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Embassy in Japan and New Zealand. One of Renée’s passions is using the arts to help youth cope with trauma and discuss social issues. Her picture book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen is based on poetry workshops she facilitated with children in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Renée was a writer-in-residence for over twenty years teaching creative writing and theater in public schools and community centers throughout the nation. She founded I, Too Arts Collective, a nonprofit that was housed in the Harlem brownstone where Langston Hughes lived the last twenty years of his life. The organization hosted poetry workshops for youth and literary events for the community from 2016-2019.

Watson is on the Council of Writers for the National Writing Project and is a member of the Academy of American Poets’ Education Advisory Council. She is also a writer-in-residence at The Solstice Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Program.

Renée grew up in Portland, Oregon, and splits her time between Portland and New York City. To learn more about her work visit her at www.reneewatson.net.

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Top reviews from the United States

Stephanie McCall
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Took a Piece of My Heart--and That's Great
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020
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Piecing Me Together is one of those books that gives me...thoughts. Of course, all good books make you think in some way, even if they primarily entertain you. But Piecing Me Together is one of those where, if I don't get the thoughts out, they're going to stay tingling in my hands and elbows and chest until I get heartburn and start to feel that my skin is the only thing keeping me from going everywhere at once.

Ah-heh-hem.

I didn't actually set out to read this book. I'm in my thirties, it's a YA novel, and I feel like I should be "too old" for YA. But the summary fascinated me when I first found it a year ago. And then, after the death of George Floyd, I reached out to a couple of black friends, asking them to help me understand, because I want to get beyond "I have black friends." Being a bookworm, having a physical disability that means I can't drive or do many activities, reading also felt like a good way to do this. So here I am.

I have to say, I'm still a bit gobsmacked. The book itself, as a book, is great. Jade Butler is an authentically teen character. I wasn't her growing up, but I probably passed girls like her in the halls every day and just never knew it because well, we were all solving our own problems. I love Jade's voice, the way she loves art, and the way she stands up for herself. She won't stand for anyone feeling sorry for her, even if it means giving up "opportunities." Because after all, if you don't make the opportunity, whose opportunity is it? Whose conscience is being salved? Who is benefiting?

And that's where Jade and I intersect. I'm white--let's just say it, porcelain. Fair Irish. Southern conservative family. With those stats, you might think I'm the enemy of the average black person--and maybe I am. I've sure felt like it before, even though I despise racism, even though I love gospel music and have black friends and all that. (Because, SO WHAT). But, I was also a highly gifted student who grew up with cerebral palsy--and I still have cerebral palsy. And I was offered a lot of "opportunities" that translated meant, "Let's fix you." Other girls got to go to New York and Gettysburg and the Dominican Republic; I was considered privileged to get to go to Gatlinburg, TN (a few hours away, with family, with supervision) or get to go to Taco Bell with a "mixed-ability" group on a school day. ("Mixed ability" because the others were cognitively/mentally disabled, and allowed or encouraged to treat me as a person to "care for," like correcting how I ate). So when those types of things happened to Jade...no, I'm not black. But I got that tingly heartburn sensation.

As for the microaggressions Jade experienced, especially with Ms. Weber and Mr. Flores, and the reaction--or lack of reaction--from Sam? Well, OOF! Because on the one hand, again, I can identify on some level. But on the other, as a white woman, I have either said or thought, "Not everything is about race" or "Why is everything about race?" Well, now I know. It's the same reason I get mad when I hear, "Everything is about disability to her." It's because you can't take your skin off, dang it. And I applaud Sam for recognizing she has a lot to learn.

I don't know how to solve the racial, ability-based, or other issues our country is facing right now. What I do know is that it involves listening to voices like Jade's and Lee Lee's. It involves appreciating, and listening to, the art and the writing and the stories found in everyone. It involves getting beyond the silly veneers of mentorships and clubs like Woman to Woman, and being real. Lee Lee's poem at the end, for instance--if that doesn't do something to you, I don't know what will.

Kudos to Renee Watson for writing a wonderful book and helping me understand a bit better. Kudos to Miss Jade Butler as well. We need more books like this...if only the authors could write them fast enough.
27 people found this helpful
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Natasha Lovelace
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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I purchased this book for my daughter and she enjoyed it so much that I decided to read it as well.
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salim shahed
5.0 out of 5 stars piecing me together
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2019
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Hasna Jorna
Book Review

"Piecing me together," a young adult novel by Renee Watson, tells the story of jade, a Portland, Ore., high school student with - her words - cold skin and hula-hoop hips. Jade has won a scholarship to St. Francis, a private school that's mostly white. This novel is a timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson. Jade is a lovely, lovely character for many reasons. She is an artist and she makes these beautiful collages from scraps of other people’s trash, and we’ll talk about that hopefully little more todayjade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. And also her mom is desperate for her to make close friends at the school but for her, she is just want to kind of keep her head down and plough through. And she talks a lot about sort of knowing she has to take advantage of the “opportunities” that this school has to offer. Jade feels bad in her school classroom, because her all white classmate mother are women who hiring the housekeeper but her mother is a women who worked for house keeper. She lived with her mother, her father doesn’t live with them her father live with his girlfriend. But he like jade lots, he said once a time that jade is his everything as his daughter. Every day jade rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn’t really welcome, like an invitation to join women to women, a mentorship program for ‘’ at risk’’ girls. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn’t mean she understands where jade is coming from. She’s tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. As a black girl live in white area jade is insulting by white people, for example one day jade went to a store with her best friend sam and she was looking for something but the store employed come to her and ask her why her bag is like that that mean she guess jade is a thief she stole something from the store, but she didn’t. And white customer are holding lots of thing their hands but the employ didn’t blame them for anything. This was totally unfair that they did with jade.as the novel comes to a close, jade is learning she has the power to stand up for herself and it feels good to do so. She also learns she has the ability to overcome the stereotypes against blacks and that she has to make a commitment to see anything through to the conclusion, including friendships. This book is all about overcoming to rise, because she is trying to figure out who she is and how to feel more whole in her life as she is sort of collaging her own life together.I think one of the reasons i loved this book so much is that, as a white woman in the world, a book like this gives me the opportunity to step into the shoes of somebody having a very different experience from my own. I recommended this book for readers because they will know for their future how to how they and their community stitch them back together each day, like how jade and her community stitch her back together each day
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

klay
4.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD TEACHING FOR YOUNG GIRLS
Reviewed in Brazil on June 14, 2021
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IT'S A GOOD READING, AND IT TEACHES GIRLS TO NEVER GIVE UP ON THEIR DREAMS .
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Asha Sreedhar
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Novel.
Reviewed in India on July 15, 2023
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Once I purchased the novel, I couldn't wait to start reading it and when I started, I found it somewhat sad but interesting at the same time. I admire the character and how determined she is to go forward in life despite challenges and struggles at the same time. It is worth reading this novel.
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Dahlia O'Neil
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent read.
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2019
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I liked the way the author wove the story. I love the message of empowerment to young people of any orientation.
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Mrs. Lj Hart
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Journey
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
Jade goes to a private school on a scholarship and doesn't feel the connection with other students that she feels to students from her local community. Particularly her best friend Lee Lee, they just get each other without words.

One day on the long bus journey to school Sam gets on, clearly she goes to the same school as Jade, and the two girls become friends. While Sam and Jade's new friendship is developing, Jade is selected for the Woman to Woman programme and she learns and is encouraged to speak out against injustice and to be true to herself.

This is a story about a young woman who recognises the power of opportunity and education, whose ideals and friendships are challenged as she learns about what she's prepared to accept and who she wants to be. It's a story about speaking up and speaking out and about the importance of listening and recognising that one person can make a difference.
3 people found this helpful
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Dorota
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for my grade 8 students!
Reviewed in Canada on July 23, 2021
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Can’t wait to read this book to my students. A quick read, with a good story, strong message, very relevant to the current conversations on anti-racism.
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