”After Tupac & D Foster” by Jacqueline Woodson

Contemporary author Jacqueline Woodson relates “slices of life” in her books in ways that are crystal clear. In reading them, you often feel like you are sitting on a street corner watching the scenes unfold in front of you. Without doubt, this is why I find her books so tremendously engaging. “After Tupac & D Foster” is a stream of consciousness story that feels more like memoir than fiction. Recalling a year of her childhood (the lead character is never named, so I just put Ms. Woodson in the story as the narrator) we see three girls in a Brooklyn neighborhood bonding as sisters. Other than growing up a tad, little happens to them other than the short scenes we see of bonding and sisterhood. The title is symbolic of the book’s theme – Tupac was shot, sent to prison and then shot again; D Foster is one of the three girls who simply “roams” into the lives of the other two, then disappears leaving her own mark. The title could have easily included a third character, “Tash”. The older brother of Neeka, his absence is, in many ways, filled by Tupac and D. Between the ages of 12 and 13, Neeka, D and our unnamed narrator sit on a stoop and try to find a “Big Purpose” to their lives. This is not your typical novel. The characters don’t grow significantly or change dramatically by the end, but their observations are engaging. Instead of the characters going on a journey, I felt like I had done so as the reader – being invited into their world for a short time. I felt richer for it, but am not sure that the middle-school readers this book is aimed at will fully “get it”. Reception thus far has been cooler than that for Ms. Woodson’s top hit, “If You Come Softly”. Like Angela Johnson’s “Heaven”, this book is just a little jewel along the road. Hopefully, some thoughtful readers will come across it and enjoy.