Piecing Me Together

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

Call Us What We Carry: Poems

• a poetry collection by Amanda Gorman, a young African American poet and the first person to be named the National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017
• Her poetry may help students deepen their understanding of themes of Intersectionality and The Unique Coming-of-Age Experience for Black Girls.

Love is a Revolution

• Published in February 2022 as a follow-up work to Piecing Me Together, this novel by Renée Watson explores the coming-of-age experience of a plus-sized Black girl.
• This novel continues to explore themes of Intersectionality and The Unique Coming-of-Age Experience for Black Girls.

The Romare Bearden Reader

• Romare Bearden is one of the most well-known African American collagists and a major artistic influence on Jade.
• This collection of essays explores the primary themes in his work, including the African American experience and Fragmented Identity.

Other Student Resources

The Hate You Give

• a New York Times-bestselling novel by Angie Thomas that features a young Black girl who, like Jade, is caught between two worlds: her impoverished community and the prep school she attends
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