March 21, 2024
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
A family gathers for their granddaughter's coming of age party, and each family member reminisces about the past. Told from multiple POVs, the storyline follows three generations of a middle-class African American family.
Someone recommended this to me, but damned if I can remember who it was. Let me just say that Jacqueline Woodson is a wonderful writer, but this was just okay. I know a lot of readers really loved it, but I found it sad and depressing. Even a celebration of a grandchild reaching the age of 16 has very little joy, since everyone seems to be remembering only the bad times. Even the events of 9/11 get dragged in. Ultimately I found the story to be very unsatisfying.
