In a book that seems to predict so much of what has come after, this short novel is lovely for its telling of the intensity of loving someone deeply for the first time. I didn't wish for the ending, but I certainly could see the star-crossed nature of the Jewish girl and the African-American boy learning together what it means to embrace the past and look forward to the future.
A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he’s in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he’s going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don’t exactly fit in there. So it’s a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together–even though she’s Jewish and he’s black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that’s not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.
Jacqueline Woodson’s work has been called “moving and resonant” (Wall Street Journal) and “gorgeous” (Vanity Fair). Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, and including a new preface by the author, If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering “why” and “if only . . .”
