The House You Pass on the Way

Reference: Woodson, Jacqueline. The House You Pass on the Way. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1997. 114p.

Jacqueline Woodson's book, The House You Pass on the Way, includes many important themes; it delves into aspects of adolescence and personal identities that are both individual and universal. The story follows the life and thoughts of a 14-year-old girl, Staggerlee, who is a biracial lesbian growing up in Sweet Gum. Staggerlee is set apart in school because her grandparents' were killed in a bombing, and her parents have an interracial marriage, so she is constantly labeled as being "stuck up." When her adopted cousin, Trout, visits their family for the first time to stay the summer, Staggerlee makes the first close friend of her life. They both talk about their feelings for girls and how their family and community would react if they found out, and Trout talks about the pressure from her friends and mother to date boys.  Besides discussing this theme, the book also describes Staggerlee's close relationship to her family, the grief that comes from a relative passing away (even though their families were estranged), and the inevitable change that occurs as one of her older siblings prepares to leave for college. It illustrates a world in which kids who were not friends in middle school begin to open up and break down social barriers in high school, and ends with Staggerlee's steady excitement for the possibilities in the future, although she does not know exactly who she will become or what challenges she will face.

This is a down-to-earth book that explores young adults' changing relationships with themselves, their family, and their peers, and as such I think it is appropriate for middle school and high school students. The story confronts sexual and racial norms and really prizes everyone's distinct individuality, which is a good lesson for young adult's to be exposed to. Her experience as someone who is of mixed race and a lesbian are juxtaposed well with her longing for a friend and her confrontation with change in school and within her family, and the overarching theme that all young adults can probably relate to in some way is that of loneliness and the need for understanding. At only 114 pages and with relatively unchallenging vocabulary, this book is great for discussing the major themes with students. While the readability is definitely appropriate for someone as young as a 6th grader, however, the themes make it probably more fruitful for discussion in an 8th grade or high school class.