If You Come Softly

            If You Come Softly by Jaqueline Woodson tells the love story of two sophomores: Ellie, a white Jewish middle class girl, and Jeremiah, a black upper class boy. Although they love each other unconditionally, they feel the pressure of everyone else’s eyes on them, because they are an interracial couple.  Each chapter switches perspectives between Ellie and Jeremiah and portrays the inner struggles that both go through concerning their differing races. Jeremiah often comments that he always feels his blackness, while Ellie seems to forget her whiteness, because they attend a primarily white school. The novel also addresses the stereotypes concerning young, African-American males and how it can impact their education and lives. The characters also encounter issues of divorce, non-nuclear families, and homosexuality.

            This novel was a quick read and would fit well into a multicultural curriculum. Because it had a male and a female protagonist, one being white, one black, a wide range of students would be able to relate to the characters. The book also had a focus on basketball, not just the love story, which would allow boys to be engaged in this book. While the content was not traumatizing or promiscuous and the vocabulary and sentence structures simple, the characters were in their second year of high school and in a very intense relationship. Younger readers might not be able to relate to or understand the dynamics of high school relationship. I would recommend this book to freshmen in high school or possibly eighth graders. However, it was very interesting, and I feel that it would engage a wide range of students. 

Reference Information: Woodson, Jaqueline. If You Come Softly.  New York: Putnam’s. 1998.