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A review by ljesica
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
5.0
This one was beautiful. Tragic, but beautiful.
This book was written in 1998. It was both ahead of it's time and sadly still current. Ellie is a 15 year old Jewish girl in NY. Her dad is a doctor and her mom stays at home. She's the youngest child by a long shot, so she's basically an only child. And she gets lonely sometimes.
Jeremiah or Miah is a 15 year old black man. His father is an Oscar nominated director and his mom has published 3 books. He is an only child. And he wishes for someone to talk to, someone who would just get him.
On their first day of school, they literally bump in to each other. It takes only a minute - him helping gather her books and telling her his name, and they both start falling.
They get looks when they're out together. An old lady in Central Park asks Ellie if she's ok. Ellie tells her sister about Miah and gets silence and then never tells her parents. Miah's mom embraces Ellie immediately but he never tells his dad.
It's a short read but beautiful. Ellie and Miah and true, unspoiled young love. But of course the ending is tragic.
I wish I could say these things only happened in the 90s. But we're currently watching a trial where the judge thinks it's ok to ban "Black Pastors" from the courtroom after a modern lynching. I really hope that one day Miah and Ellie's dream can come true and we can finally just see people instead of color.
This book was written in 1998. It was both ahead of it's time and sadly still current. Ellie is a 15 year old Jewish girl in NY. Her dad is a doctor and her mom stays at home. She's the youngest child by a long shot, so she's basically an only child. And she gets lonely sometimes.
Jeremiah or Miah is a 15 year old black man. His father is an Oscar nominated director and his mom has published 3 books. He is an only child. And he wishes for someone to talk to, someone who would just get him.
On their first day of school, they literally bump in to each other. It takes only a minute - him helping gather her books and telling her his name, and they both start falling.
They get looks when they're out together. An old lady in Central Park asks Ellie if she's ok. Ellie tells her sister about Miah and gets silence and then never tells her parents. Miah's mom embraces Ellie immediately but he never tells his dad.
It's a short read but beautiful. Ellie and Miah and true, unspoiled young love. But of course the ending is tragic.
I wish I could say these things only happened in the 90s. But we're currently watching a trial where the judge thinks it's ok to ban "Black Pastors" from the courtroom after a modern lynching. I really hope that one day Miah and Ellie's dream can come true and we can finally just see people instead of color.