Tue, Oct 13
|Zoom
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson is a poetic coming-of-age novel by a brilliant author that dives into family dynamics and what makes us who we are. This novel weaves in and out of different moments in time and history to ask these important questions.
Time & Location
Oct 13, 2026, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM PDT
Zoom
About the event
We’ll be discussing Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
About the Author & Story
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Jacqueline grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from college with a B.A. in English. She is the author of dozens of award-winning books for young adults, middle graders, and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a four-time National Book Award finalist, and a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.
As Red at the Bone opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody’s coming of age ceremony in her grandparents’ Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody’s mother, for her own ceremony– a celebration that ultimately never took place.
Unfurling the history of Melody’s family – reaching back to the Tulsa race massacre in 1921 – to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they’ve paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives–even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.
Why this Book?
Red at the Bone has been challenged for the following reasons:
“Illegal Obscenity for minors”
“LGBTQIA+ representation"
“Reproductive health content”
“EDI [Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion] content”
This book has 25 documented censorship attempts.
What to Expect
This session will focus on carefully selected excerpts, held within a supportive and respectful container. We’ll approach the text with context, intention, and space to pause.
You’re welcome to listen quietly, reflect privately, or share thoughtfully, whatever feels right for you. We hope to see you there!
Stay curious, be open and keep waking up!
Jonelle + Karen
This event is open to all genders and races, our book club is rooted in curiosity over certainty, connection over debate, and the belief that thoughtful stories can gently shift how we see ourselves and the world.