Jacqueline Woodson Experience

After reading If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson and discussing some of her other books with my classmates, I have learned a lot about this author and her style of writing. First of all, I noticed the popular trends in her pieces of literature. In almost every book, people of color are the main characters, they are the ones in power, and the story revolves around some kind of relationship with white people. Even in her picture book Visiting Day did Woodson portray an issue with a mother and her child(ren), as this was another common trend found along with split families. If the above trends did not say enough about the controversial topics Woodson introduces in her literature, this is nothing. In If You Come Softly, the main male character, Jeremiah, was mistakenly shot just because he was a black young man going for a jog through a white neighborhood and did not hear the cops yelling behind him to stop. Also in this novel, the main female’s sister describes the hardships of being involved in a homosexual relationship. These are only a few examples of the heavy topics that Woodson describes in her work. These controversial topics and the strong storylines in her literature make these books well-written and worthwhile reads. Where age appropriate, these books definitely should be read and discussed with students because it provides the perfect opportunity to touch upon such deep topics in our world that society likes to turn away from. I think students need to dip their toes in reality before they take their first steps into the real world because it will hopefully help them to learn how to handle different curveballs that life throws at them. Also, for those students who have experienced such heavy issues in their life already, reading these books and sharing them as a class will hopefully provide these students an opportunity for them to share their hardships with people who care; this is something that many students are often afraid to do without the little push of providing them the opportunity to share. Regardless of the book or the reason, where appropriate I want to incorporate the author of Jacqueline Woodson into my curriculum, which inspires me to read more of her books.

To find out more about Jacqueline Woodson, her books, and how to use her books in your classroom, visit her website!