A review by tristalarrrry
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

5.0

The Other Side is a beautiful depiction of the genuine confusion and exploration of the complexity of racism in small rural towns during the Jim Crow era. Clover was always warned not to play on the other side of the fence (Mama said it wasn't safe), however, when a white girl named Annie begins sitting on the fence one summer - watching and sometimes asking to play. Slowly, we see the bud of a friendship formed between the two girls, despite both their Mama's saying the other side wasn't safe. We see how children don't have the same pre-conceived notions of race, socio-economic status, or which side of the fence they lived on (or why they lived where they did). I have never seen this type of narrative in this time period which shows non-violent interactions between the girls - Woodson beautifully captures the pureness of children's hearts. I'm definitely going to be reading this to my future children!