Piecing Me Together

When Jade learns the Spanish word for succeed, she thinks it’s kind of ironic that the English word exit is embedded in it. Tener exito. To succeed. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she’s ever going to accomplish anything. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She leaves her friends and neighborhood every day to attend a private school in a wealthy part of the city. She hopes that this year she’ll be chosen for the opportunity to participate in the school’s amazing Study Abroad program.

But there’s one opportunity that Jade doesn’t really welcome: joining Women to Women, a mentorship program for at-risk girls. She’s tired of being singled out at her mostly-white school as someone who needs support. And just because Maxine, her college-student mentor, is black and graduated from her high school doesn’t mean she understands where Jade is coming from. Maxine is eager to give back, but most of the opportunities she has to offer aren’t really what Jade needs. Because Maxine doesn’t really get it. And it seems like she has some issues of her own she needs to figure out. Maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about understanding the world and finding opportunities to be real, to make a difference.

Renee Watson once again delivers a thoughtful and relevant story about issues of race, privilege, and female relationships.