Remember Us is the latest book by the amazing author Jacqueline Woodson. It's the story of Sage, a young girl who lives in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York in the early 1970s. Sage is an above-average basketball player, and would rather shoot hoops all day than play with most of the other girls in her neighborhood. In some ways, this serves her well, as she is following her heart, doing what she loves. She wants to be the first woman playing in the NBA some day - the WNBA doesn't exist when this story takes place.
At other times her passion and skills don't serve her well. She is shunned by some of the girls she used to play with when she was younger, and by boys who bully her for being too much like a boy (in that she not only likes basketball, but also that she is one of the best at it in Brooklyn). Sage's neighborhood is nicknamed "The Matchbox", because houses keep burning down, which adds one of many layers to this realistic fiction book.
If you've never read a Woodson book before, you owe it to yourself to read one. I promise that once you have, you will want to read more! It's as if every story is really her own story...she writes "voice" as well as any author I have read and Remember Us is no exception. I don't know off hand how many books she has written, but I would guess maybe 20 or so? I have probably read 5 or 10 of them...every single one made me feel that I was actually the person telling the story - the main character, the protagonist. When reading Remember Us, I got sad when Sage was sad. I was joyful when Sage was schooling some boys at the basketball court. I missed her best friend when she wasn't able to hang out with him for a time. I admit to being a little lonely when the story ended...and that is how every single one of Woodson's books is, at least for me.
Needless to say, this is a very good story. I finished this book yesterday morning and I still miss Sage! I can't wait for Woodson to write another book...I can't say that about most authors. 5 paws!
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