Watch Us Rise
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"This stunning book is the story I've been waiting for my whole life; where girls rise up to claim their space with joy and power." -Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Speak
"An extraordinary story of two indomitable spirits." -Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of All American Boys and Tradition
"Timely, thought-provoking, and powerful." -Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Renée Watson teams up with poet Ellen Hagan in this teen feminist anthem about raising your voice.
Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends on a mission-they're sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women's Rights Club. They post their work-poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine's response to the racial microaggressions she experiences-and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by trolls. When things escalate in real life, the principal shuts the club down. Not willing to be silenced, Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices-and those of other young women-to be heard.
These two dynamic, creative young women stand up and speak out in a novel that features their compelling art and poetry along with powerful personal journeys that will inspire readers and budding poets, feminists, and activists.
Acclaim for Piecing Me Together
2018 Newbery Honor Book
2018 Coretta Scott King Author Award
2017 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Young Adult Finalist
"Timely and timeless." -Jacqueline Woodson, award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at . . . the life-changing power of voice and opportunity." -Jason Reynolds, NYT-bestselling author of Long Way Down
"Brilliant." -John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
* "Teeming with compassion and insight." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the power of art, community, and friendship." -Kirkus, starred review
* "A nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality." -SLJ, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From Watson (Piecing Me Together) and poet Hagan comes a complex and socially conscious coming-of-age tale featuring young women of color. Jasmine, a plus-size African-American girl with a passion for acting, and her best friend Chelsea, a white girl and budding feminist, attend a social justice focused high school in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. As the two struggle with the racism and sexism that are thriving even in seemingly progressive spaces, they come into their own as young activists pushing back against injustice. The characters are very human in both their passions and their frailties (Jasmine's struggle to cope with her father's terminal cancer; Chelsea's occasional concessions to the same female ideals she rails against), but strong messaging can sometimes bog down the book's pace as the girls stop everything to educate their parents, teachers, and a crush about institutionalized discrimination. The most important message is actually more subtle than the girls': by following their convictions, young women have the power to change the world for the better. It's a message, and a story, that any teen could benefit from and enjoy. Ages 13 up. Agents: (for Watson) Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio; (for Hagan) Cindy Uh, Thompson Literary Agency.
