Brooke's Pick: Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

When a teenage girl becomes pregnant and is subsequently thrown off the planned trajectory of her life, it turns out she isn't the only person in her family whose life drastically changes. Acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson brings us the beautifully written and poignant Red at the Bone, a short multi-generational tale of family ties, life choices, and the black experience in America.
 
 Sixteen year old Melody is about to make her debut, something that her own mother did not get to do because she became pregnant with Melody soon before she came of age. Living with her wealthy grandparents, Sabe and Po' Boy, in Brooklyn, Melody has a strangled relationship with her mother, Iris, but she has never quite figured out why. How Iris, Melody, Sabe, and Po' Boy came to this point in their lives is explored in Red at the Bone.
 
 While Red at the Bone is a short novel (coming in under 200 pages), it packs a powerful and memorable punch. Woodson's exquisite writing and storytelling take us deep into the lives of one family and examines how our life choices can have far-reaching consequences. Touched upon in this thought-provoking and poignant novel are themes of race, sexuality, promiscuity, social status, and education. This book is like sitting down with someone who has seen much of the world and its ugly ways, and hearing them tell their story from the heart.
 
 I listened to an audiobook production of Red at the Bone, which comes highly recommended. Using a variety of narrators, it makes it easier to distinguish between characters. Not to mention that these narrators read in such a way that evokes emotion and draws in the listener.

Availability: Book; Large Print Book; eBook & eAudiobook in cloudLibrary
 Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it)
 Reviewer: Brooke, Public Relations Librarian

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 Red at the Bone

AWARDS: LibraryReads Favorite: 2019; New York Times Notable Books - Fiction & Poetry 2019
 GENRE: African American Fiction; Coming of Age Stories; Literary Fiction; Multiple Perspectives

THEME: Facing Racism (Whether individual or systemic, racism is a lived experience for the characters in these books.); Family Gatherings (When families get together, personal histories collide. These novels use the family gathering as a catalyst for exploring character, relationships, and kinship.); Web of Connections (Inanimate objects are given a voice in these unique stories. These items either tell the story themselves or the story centers on the object as it passes from one person to another.)

TONE: Bittersweet

WRITING STYLE: Engaging; Lyrical; Thoughtful

CHARACTER: Authentic; Complex; Culturally Diverse; Introspective; LGBTQIA Diverse
 STORYLINE: Character-Driven; Nonlinear; Own Voices

LOCATION: Brooklyn, NYC
 TIME PERIOD: 20th Century

SUBJECT: African American Families; Extended Families; Family Celebrations; Generation Gap; Gentrification of Cities; Growing Up; Mothers and daughters; Racism; Social Classes; Unplanned Pregnancy

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