#heyyoungworld, #BOOKSCOMEINALLCOLORS when you #shopscribesandvibes! Take 10% off of this beautiful display of #comingofage and #selfresilience with promo code BLACKWRITERSMATTER.⁠ ⁠ #scribesandvibes • #youngadultbooks • #weallneeddifferentbookstolove • #blackwritersmatter • #findyourtribe ⁠ ・・・⁠ #bookcrush 📚😍: #PIECINGMETOGETHER, written by #ReneeWatson https://www.instagram.com/p/CMx9tdBht9f/?igshid=addfuden8hst

This rain has been sticking around, and I'm sick of it! What I'm not sick of is #PiecingMeTogether. Look at this gorgeous UK cover! . . . . . #bookstagram #books #instabooks #bookhaul #diversereads #blackmc #yabooks #ukedition

#waystomakesunshine @harlemportland illustrated by #mechalroe thankyou @bloomsburypublishing out July 23 2020. The start of a young #mglit series starring a black girl and her relatable and lovable family. . Looking forward to this New series. BIG fan of this author. Loved #piecingmetogether #yalit . . . . . ..#bookstagram #bookstagramfeature #coverkidsbooks #instabook #kidslit #newbook #bookblogger #bookstagram #bookstagramfeature #coverkidsbooks #instabook #kidslit #newbook #newfictions #newfiction #igbookreview #instareview #instabooks #instabooklovers #igbook #gifted https://www.instagram.com/p/CCJ_hk-gW2n/?igshid=wszq5bv706ei

What books are in your collection? This is just a few we have. #thejourneygodchose #TheAlchemist #the4hourworkweek #contagious #thestarsbeneathourfeet #becoming #apsalmforus #theseatofthesoul #thebluesteye #withthefireonhigh #piecingmetogether #thenest #icantmakethisup #youareabadasseveryday (at Inglewood, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3b2VENF0Xc/?igshid=8sww6nutx9lu

Urban bib vacation reading tip : 📖Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson📖 MARCH by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell📖 Niet Te Stoppen by Angie Thomas📖 Graffiti Palace by AG Lombardo📖 #readingtips #urbanbib #permeke #publiclibrary #openbarebibliotheek #angiethomas #aglombardo #books #reneewatson #piecingmetogether #graffitipalace #march #niettestoppen (bij Bibliotheek Permeke) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Ef2QpAmcp/?igshid=b266yr6ft2t2

What's your #weekendread ? 💁🏽📖 I started this beauty last night and really enjoying it. The writing is amazing. I'm also obsessed with the cover, it's so gorgeous. If you've read it let me know what you think, no spoilers please! I will leave the synopsis below! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 A timely and powerful story about a teen girl from a poor neighborhood striving for success, from acclaimed author Renée Watson. Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad” neighborhoods. But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her mentor is black doesn’t mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference. Friendships, race, privilege, identity—this compelling and thoughtful story explores the issues young women face. 💁🏽📖 🕯Candles by the lovely @novelheartbeatcreations , use CRYSTAL10 for 10% off your order! 💁🏽📖 #piecingmetogether #reneewatson #tbr #saturdayreading #diversity #diversebooks #youngadultbooks #reviewbook #bloomsburyteen #ad #novelheartbeatcreations

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⛈Piecing Me Together // Review⛈⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Micro-aggressions are put under the microscope.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ “Listening to these mentors, I feel like I can prove the negative stereotypes about girls like me wrong. That I can and will do more, be more.⠀ But when I leave? It happened again. The Shattering.⠀ And this makes me wonder if a black girl's life is only about being stitched together and coming undone, being stitched together and coming undone.⠀ I wonder if there's ever a way for a girl like me to feel whole.⠀ Wonder if any of these women can answer that.”⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Jade wants to speak up, but she always seems to struggle to find her voice when the situation calls for it. Now it's time for Jade to speak.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ This book, more than anything, I think, is about how the lack of privileges can affect people. Jade isn't just black, facing daily micro-aggressions because of her race. She's also fat and poor.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ Piecing Me Together does a great job of showing how all of these things, that can be a barrier for people separately, can intersect and affect each other, making the wall between yourself and the life you want feel impossibly tall.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ It shows how hard it can be to speak up even when you know you need to the most.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ It shares the importance for people of privilege to not only help those who aren't, but to also work towards understanding what it's like to be without such privileges and to listen.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ❔: What #ownvoice POC YA book is your favourite?⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ❕ : Mine right now is Piecing Me Together⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 💻If you want to check out more of my reviews, I post full reviews on my blog. Link Tree in bio💻⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ —⠀ #Piecingmetogether #reneewatson #bookreview https://www.instagram.com/p/BqeCVTZHJBQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pv6ublvhnnbh

I went on a bit of a shopping spree... #dreadnation #justinaireland #stalkingjacktheripper #kerrimaniscalco #childrenofbloodandbone #tomiadeyemi #piecingmetogether #reneewatson #restoreme #taherehmafi #whyinolongertalktowhitepeopleaboutrace #renieddolodge #binti #nnediokorafor #darkdays #jamesbaldwin #bookhaul #amazonwishlist #booknerd #bookgasm #instabook #bookstagram

I squeed! I totally squeed. Because this sounds amazing. #PiecingMeTogether by @harlemportland Thank you @bloomsburypublishing @emmacbradshaw #bookpost

#Repost @i_too_arts with @repostapp ・・・ Why yes that *is* John Green recommending @harlemportland's PIECING ME TOGETHER for your Holiday Gift Buying this season on @goodmorningamerica! Thanks for being such a stalwart supporter, John! #bookrecommendations #holidaygift #holidaygiftguide #booksasgifts #bookit #piecingmetogether #youngreaders

This cover is absolutely beautiful. 😍 . Piecing me Together by the brilliant Renee Watson is another of my @scholasticbookclubs books. So excited to read it next month. . Anyone else gathering up books for fall reading? What are some of the books on your TBR shelves? . #tbr #piecingmetogether #reneewatson #scholastic #mglit #yalit #weneeddiversebooks #bookstagram #30daysofteal

#newbook feb 2018 #piecingmetogether #reneewatson #bloomsbury Jade is a girl striving for success in a world that seems luke its trying to break her. An unforgettable Coming of age story. #bookblogger #bookstagram #bookstagramfeature #coverkidsbooks #instabook #ireadya #teenlit #kidslit #teenbooks #teenread #newbook #yalit #bookblogger #bookstagram #bookstagramfeature #coverkidsbooks #instabook #ireadya #teenlit #kidslit #teenbooks #newbook #newfictions #winterreads #newbook #newfiction

Piecing Me Together

What is this? Maybe it’s a book review...or just a reflection. I’m not sure. All I know is that I’ve been inspired. This book, Piecing Me Together. I started reading it last week as part of my self-inflicted summer reading program. I want to read---actually read and complete--books this summer. I have been reading probably five books on and off for years...yup. But it’s always better to finish something than to start it. I want to complete something and be proud of it this summer. So I looked at the Young Adult section without shame because I AM a young adult, and sometimes I just need to be swept up in a story and not always trying to make myself better by reading something philosophical. Like ughhhh sometimes it’s too much and probably why I don’t always finish the books I start. Too serious. Too much thought, not enough enjoyment. 

So anyway, I’ve been reading this book by Renee Watson ( http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/piecing-me-together-9781681191058/ ) 

and really enjoying it. I was reading some of it today and almost cried several times because of how much I relate to the main character, Jade. She wants to escape and fit in, create and destroy, be mature and be a kid, defend and rebuke, all at once. It’s kind of funny because she also speaks and loves Spanish. I’m a Spanish teacher. And even her name, Jade, is one that I have wanted to name my future daughter for a while. She’s a teen with a mentor and one of her questions in the book was something like “What can this lady teach me? Can I trust her? She seems too caught up in her own stuff”. It was that kind of feeling. I think about the fact that I have mentors that have definitely disappointed me in life. I also think about the fact that like it or not, being a teacher of young children makes me a mentor, and I will inevitably disappoint people. I think of the fact that we are all truly unqualified to to what God and our dreams call us to do, but thank GOD for grace. We have what we have and we are who we are for a reason. Or at least that’s what I believe. 

What Jade does that’s different from me is collage art. Because Renee Watson is a great writer, I can envision what her homemade masterpieces look like and again, I’m inspired. I want to create art. I want to read, watch, and listen to garner knowledge and perspective, and then I want to draw, paint, cut, copy, paste, write, and share! That’s what I’m thinking this summer is about for me. And it’s funny, because last night I was in a bitter mood that I had to spend the evening alone, forgetting way too easily that I believe that we’re all where we are when we are there for a reason. I could have read last night and had this writing already done! But...it’s all goood. Instead, I talked to my grandma, which is always a good idea. She’s 83 and full of inspiration, perspective, wisdom, and true joy, because she’s in love with Jesus. 

Yep, so...I read this book and will probably tell a lot of young Black girls who I encounter to read it. And young Black boys. And young people. And anyone. Do you see where this is going? Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson. It’s too legit to quit. 

Starting #THUG today. I'll have to put my other current reads on hold for now. I noticed that I don't read too many diverse books and after reading #piecingmetogether yesterday I now want to find every diverse reads there is. Any recommendations ? . . . . [ #diversebooks #diversereads #currentread #bookworm #bookstagram #instabooks # #books #reading #bookworm #photography #booklover #booknerd #bookphotography #books #blogger #reviewer #spring #readoftheweek #vscocam #reading ]

#PiecingMeTogether by Renee Watson is a story that discusses race and gender in a way that it needs to be discussed. This book is relevant and a must-read! . . . . Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Except really, it's for black girls. From "bad" neighborhoods. And just because Maxine, her college-graduate mentor, is black doesn't mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.