Brown Girl Dreaming

Written in open verse, Jacqueline Woodson provides a rich view of herself growing up in the 60’s in South Carolina and New York. In a time where she is still referred to as a colored girl, she takes readers on a leisurely stroll, inviting a deep excitement to swell inside as they digest her phrases, images, dreams, and yearnings. Walking in her shoes, readers can feel the joy of freedom and the confusion of racism poking at the young girl unable to respond, but knowing it’s wrong, just plain wrong.

Woodson’s writing is vivid, startling, fascinating, and from the heart. It’s easy to see why she’s won so many writing awards. A special treat for writers, Woodson walks readers through the inside thoughts of a young writer in the making, including the joy of her first composition notebook well before she could even write. She shares the secret to her writing—listening—and with each story, she spills delectable foods across the table for readers to taste, savor, and digest. This is not a book readers will want to breeze through, it is one in which readers will want to linger, contemplate, and experience. Sure to be an award winner.