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A review by allysonbogie
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
5.0
After Tupac and D Foster is the type of magical book that whisks you into its fictional world and makes you forget reality for awhile. The book spans several years, from when the narrator and her best friends are eleven to thirteen years old. They are on the edge of puberty when the book starts--starting to be interested in boys, and wanting more independence from their families--but still very aware that they have to follow their families' rules and stay on their block. A new girl, D Foster, comes into their lives. She's the same age but takes the bus to their neighborhood and decides to stay and hang out. On her second visit, she brings a double dutch rope and the girls connect because they are the "older" girls who know how to jump rope. D's arrival seems to symbolize a completion--they couldn't jump double dutch without this third friend. Time and specifics are pretty fluid in this book, and the book was a very short, quick read, yet I didn't feel like I was missing out on big chunks of anything important. In a way it is told in vignettes, because really important moments are pulled out of their lives and described in detail. Woodson manages to do all of this and really convey the feeling of being there, with a first person narrator in 150 pages.
Neeka's oldest brother is in jail for his supposed role in a robbery gone wrong. He is in jail upstate, 3 hours away on a bus. The narrator goes with Neeka and her family to visit and the journey and visit is one of the most vivid descriptions in the book. We find out at the end that Tash wasn't the one responsible for the violence--rather, it was a hate crime committed against him and his friend, both of whom are gay. Woodson does a good job of addressing Tash's multiple identities--he is black and gay--and he is a beautiful character who manages to not be afraid despite what he has gone through.
Woodson also weaves Tupac and his music into the book. His life and death situate the story in a certain time and place, but it does not feel dated. The girls' connection to Tupac seems to be an aspect of their adolescence and growing independence. Music tends to be so important to the middle school students I work with and this book definitely captures that in a powerful way.
In addition to addressing racism, class issues, jail, and gay bashing, Woodson portrays D's experience moving in and out of foster care in a sensitive way. For readers who don't know anything about the child welfare system, they get an understanding of it from a very kid-friendly perspective. For kids who are familiar with it, they will see their experiences reflected in the book.
This book is truly a middle school book, but I think that some 5th and 6th grade readers would also relate to it. The violence committed during Tash's supposed crime is the only part of the book that I would be especially concerned about with younger students. Otherwise, kids will digest the parts of the book that they understand and relate to, and skim over the parts that might be too old for them.
I think this would make a good class read. It's short and
could be completed in class in a few weeks, but it is very dense. In some ways it is like the House on Mango Street, but much easier to understand and more middle school appropriate. And I am now motivated to read everything by Jacqueline Woodson as I think the writing is very powerful.
Neeka's oldest brother is in jail for his supposed role in a robbery gone wrong. He is in jail upstate, 3 hours away on a bus. The narrator goes with Neeka and her family to visit and the journey and visit is one of the most vivid descriptions in the book. We find out at the end that Tash wasn't the one responsible for the violence--rather, it was a hate crime committed against him and his friend, both of whom are gay. Woodson does a good job of addressing Tash's multiple identities--he is black and gay--and he is a beautiful character who manages to not be afraid despite what he has gone through.
Woodson also weaves Tupac and his music into the book. His life and death situate the story in a certain time and place, but it does not feel dated. The girls' connection to Tupac seems to be an aspect of their adolescence and growing independence. Music tends to be so important to the middle school students I work with and this book definitely captures that in a powerful way.
In addition to addressing racism, class issues, jail, and gay bashing, Woodson portrays D's experience moving in and out of foster care in a sensitive way. For readers who don't know anything about the child welfare system, they get an understanding of it from a very kid-friendly perspective. For kids who are familiar with it, they will see their experiences reflected in the book.
This book is truly a middle school book, but I think that some 5th and 6th grade readers would also relate to it. The violence committed during Tash's supposed crime is the only part of the book that I would be especially concerned about with younger students. Otherwise, kids will digest the parts of the book that they understand and relate to, and skim over the parts that might be too old for them.
I think this would make a good class read. It's short and
could be completed in class in a few weeks, but it is very dense. In some ways it is like the House on Mango Street, but much easier to understand and more middle school appropriate. And I am now motivated to read everything by Jacqueline Woodson as I think the writing is very powerful.