Of course I got in trouble for lying but I didn’t stop until fifth grade. I loved lying and getting away with it! There was something about telling the lie-story and seeing your friends’ eyes grow wide with wonder. Not “Once upon a time” stories but basically, outright lies. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. Hopefully through careful thought and discussion, students can better connect the characters' experiences to their own communities, an important first step for creating change.I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing. As racism continues to lurk in our social media feeds, in our communities, and on the world stage, students can greatly benefit from seeing the effects of prejudice in this book.
Woodson's novel is an excellent text for teaching about racism and prejudice for middle school or high school students. As she draws closer to Jeremiah, she sees how he is affected, and this growing awareness leads her to make hard choices. Ellie, on the other hand, initially is unaware of the prejudice in her community and family. People frown at his relationship with Ellie, teachers assume he is behind the other students academically, and even his girlfriend hesitates to introduce him to her family. Being black, Jeremiah can never forget his race, and we are continually shown throughout the novel how small acts of prejudice affect him. If You Come Softly is significant because it shows the harmful effects of prejudice. However, the discrimination eventually culminates in larger tragedy that tears lives apart. Casual prejudice forms a backdrop for Jeremiah and Ellie's relationship, which they are determined to weather. The book is about the quiet racism and prejudice found in sidelong glances on the street or harmful assumptions from peers or teachers. They rapidly fall in love, but find interracial relationships come with their own set of hurdles. In the novel, Jeremiah is black and Ellie is white.
While Romeo and Juliet was famously about two lovers from feuding families, the main obstacle in If You Come Softly is subtler, but no less dangerous.
Two young people from different groups love each other despite opposition from their different worlds. If You Come Softly, by Jacqueline Woodson, is a story grounded in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet. 7 December 2018 / Human Rights / Young Adult Books If You Come Softly
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