REVIEW: Red At The Bone (Jacqueline Woodeson)

Book: Red At The Bone

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

My rating: 4/5.

Premise: Brooklyn, 2001. Watched by her relatives and friends, sixteen-year-old Melody celebrates her coming of age wearing a custom-made dress - the same dress that was made for her mother for a celebration that never took place. Each generation recounts the events leading to the celebration, exploring sexual desire, race, class and parenthood.

[⚠️CW: racism]

This was a really nice read. It starts at Melody's coming of age. But most of the book follows her parents and grandparents, their backgrounds and reactions to events. In particular, we get to explore how each of her parents adapted to parenthood. I like the contrast between them. Her father who happily took up the role of parent, whereas her mother is desperate to pick up the life she feels she missed out on. Each female character was strong in her own way: dealing with loss, standing up for her decisions, supporting other women. I loved the variety of themes covered through the characters. There was race, teenage pregnancy, peer pressure, sexuality - I could go on! Because each chapter picks up a different character and a different time, sometimes it's hard to work out where we've jumped to. But I found it a really interesting read, breaking down social expectations and human feelings. A lovely book!