"From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun" was my first encounter with Jacqueline Woodson's writing and I was amazed by her abililty to draw me into the story and understand the characters. I really appreciate her fearlessness in approaching difficult subjects and not simplifying them but rather embracing complex characters and ambiguity. Her writing addresses life experiences that are not easily represented in children's literature because they do not have easy answers but that is why there is a need for her writing. Sometimes her writing makes the reader ask more questions than the book answers which is great because it makes the reader a more active participant and they bring their reading into their lives.
Woodson believes, "The goal of literature is not to provide role models to to show people as they are. Woodson's focus on complex characters makes them real and relatable even if you have not experienced their story. Woodson also includes many characters who are loners or introverted, in "Melanin Sun", Mel often talks about his loneliness and how he is more free in his writing. In "Feathers" one of the main characters is an outcast because of his skin color. By writing about people on the edges Woodson seems to be able to gain a more involved sense of the character, what makes them who they are and how they make sense of the world. They do not always reliable narrators and they do not always make the "best" decisions but they can only act on what they have experienced. There is never an unrealistic change in character to teach the moral of a story.
That is another appeal of Woodson's writing for me, she covers tough issues and her writing has a message but she does not preach on it. Rather she lets the story carry its own meaning. The story does not tell you what is right and wrong; what message you take away depends on how you read the characters and their relationships. Woodson features many different family relationships in her writing and shows the strengths and weaknesses in every relationship. In "Melanin Sun" Mel is very close with his mother and it is just the two of them, however when she comes out as gay is hurts their relationship and changes his whole world. In "Our Gracie Aunt" two children are forced to live with their Aunt when their mother does not come home. They love their mother very much and she loves them but we she appears to be hospitalized. The children come to love their Aunt but they still love their mother and are waiting for a time when she can take care of them. Her writing shows family and love is not about who makes up your family.
Woodson believes, "The goal of literature is not to provide role models to to show people as they are. Woodson's focus on complex characters makes them real and relatable even if you have not experienced their story. Woodson also includes many characters who are loners or introverted, in "Melanin Sun", Mel often talks about his loneliness and how he is more free in his writing. In "Feathers" one of the main characters is an outcast because of his skin color. By writing about people on the edges Woodson seems to be able to gain a more involved sense of the character, what makes them who they are and how they make sense of the world. They do not always reliable narrators and they do not always make the "best" decisions but they can only act on what they have experienced. There is never an unrealistic change in character to teach the moral of a story.
That is another appeal of Woodson's writing for me, she covers tough issues and her writing has a message but she does not preach on it. Rather she lets the story carry its own meaning. The story does not tell you what is right and wrong; what message you take away depends on how you read the characters and their relationships. Woodson features many different family relationships in her writing and shows the strengths and weaknesses in every relationship. In "Melanin Sun" Mel is very close with his mother and it is just the two of them, however when she comes out as gay is hurts their relationship and changes his whole world. In "Our Gracie Aunt" two children are forced to live with their Aunt when their mother does not come home. They love their mother very much and she loves them but we she appears to be hospitalized. The children come to love their Aunt but they still love their mother and are waiting for a time when she can take care of them. Her writing shows family and love is not about who makes up your family.
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