Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson

 

Yesterday evening, I finished reading Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson. This historical fiction book taking place in the 1970s is about Sage, an African American girl whose Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn is being destroyed by fire. The summer before she starts seventh grade, she befriends Freddy, a boy who has just moved to her neighborhood. Although she's figuring out her place as a girl, she enjoys playing basketball with Freddy and the other boys. As they try to move forward into an uncertain future, they contemplate memories and missing things from the past.

Although the writing of this novel is sparse, I really enjoyed reading it because the story is profound. I thought it was really interesting how Sage and Freddy had deep thoughts and questions about life even though they were young. It seemed scary to live in Bushwick during the 1970s, hearing the sirens of fire engines often, smelling smoke, and not knowing if your house or apartment would be the next to be taken by fire. Bushwick was even known as "The Matchbox" at the time, which I found quite ominous. I felt bad that Sage, Freddy, and the other kids had to live with so much uncertainty because everything they knew could be taken away in an instant. Not to mention, they had to cope with the possibility of losing or leaving friends. Even Sage's mom had plans for them to move away once she saved up enough money. I also related to Sage's struggle as a girl. I know what it's like to feel like you're not girl enough because you're interested in things that are typically thought of as masculine. Additionally, I liked how Woodson included a blurb at the end of the book about the history of Bushwick in the 1970s and 1980s because it gave more context to the story. With its themes of time, memory, and friendship, anyone should read Remember Us.

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

 

Two weekends ago, I read Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. This novel in verse is the realistic story about a boy, Zachariah Johnson, Jr. or ZJ, whose family has to learn how to cope when his professional football playing father, "Zachariah 44" Johnson, experiences memory loss and anger management issues from having too many concussions. ZJ and his friends do not worry much when ZJ's father returns home instead of playing football on a game day, but as time goes on ZJ begins to notice that his father's condition is gradually worsening with frequent migraines, moments of anger, and lapses of memory. One day, his father doesn't even remember that he likes to call ZJ "little man". Even though ZJ's mother takes Zachariah to several doctors, they do not know exactly what the problem is and none of the treatments help much. ZJ reminisces on moments in his life when they were all happy, but he really just wants his father back.

As a novel in verse, this was a quick read, but at the same time it was heartbreaking because ZJ's family had many challenges learning to live with his father having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). I definitely felt really bad for ZJ because I could tell that sometimes it was like living with a stranger, and it was hard to read the mental breakdowns Zachariah had. There were moments of hope, though, when Zachariah would have good days. As someone who is familiar with the hot topic of sports-related concussions, I think the book was very enlightening about CTE and how it was a medical mystery as recently as the early 2000s. The story shows that those living with family members who have CTE can never turn back time. They can only move forward and learn to live with their new normal. My favorite parts of the novel were when ZJ would share his love for music with his father and hang out with his friends, Darry, Daniel, and Ollie. Before the Ever After is an excellent choice for football fans or anyone in the mood for a well-written sad story.