Woodson, Jacqueline - After Tupac and D Foster

[oyceter]

D Foster shows up in the narrator and her best friend Neeka's lives shortly after Tupac is shot for the first time, and she leaves shortly before he dies. D is a kid in foster care who looks forward to the day her mom will come back to her, and her life is worlds away from that of the narrator and Neeka, who aren't allowed to go past their block, who are looked after by their moms.

Even so, their lives aren't easy; the narrator's mom works to support the two of them, since her dad is gone, and Neeka's older brother Tash is in jail. That said, this didn't feel like a Problem Novel to me. The most significant moments are the girls hanging out and being friends and connecting to Tupac's music. I really like that the book is about rap and these three girls, given the general popular perception of rap.

It's hard to know what to say. This is a short, quiet book about the friendships that change your life even if they only span a year; how music can take hold of your heart; and how sometimes you don't know the people closest to you.

Comments

[jadelennox]

I just read this book 2 weeks ago and I really loved it, and I couldn't explain why; it was so quiet, almost plotless. But I loved it. It had lots of hard realities without, as you say, being a problem novel at all. For all of the harshness of their lives the girls' own experiences were safe and protected, within reason. And as you say, given the general popular perception of rap, the safe wholesomeness of these girls who don't even leave their block is so refreshing. But mostly this was just a great friendship book.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I just love the girls. And the way the music goes with their lives, like you say, and not in a bad or poisonous way, which is so nice.