Best friends Jasmine, who is Black, and Chelsea, who is Jewish and white, attend a New York City high school with a stated commitment to social justice. It makes the sexism they experience, from physical harassment to lack of support for a Women’s Rights Club, all the more infuriating. They start a blog and, with mentoring from a woman in the community, begin to engage in other forms of activism. Jasmine, who is fat, asserts body positivity but still struggles with how others, including Chelsea, do—and do not—see her. She’s also dealing with her dad’s terminal illness. Chelsea is struggling with how her feminist values sometimes feel compromised in her relationship with her boyfriend, and with how to support her best friend through grief. The two young women want to stand up for themselves, each other, and other girls and women. Their willingness to listen, to learn, and to speak up and out is the heart of an intentional story in which their voices rise powerfully from the page. A novel that serves as an introduction to intersectional feminism lacks some secondary character development but still packs a punch. (Age 12 and older)

"This stunning book is the story I've been waiting for my whole life; where girls rise up to claim their space with joy and power.” --Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Speak

"An extraordinary story of two indomitable spirits." --Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of All American Boys and Tradition

"Timely, thought-provoking, and powerful." --Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Renée Watson teams up with poet Ellen Hagan in this YA feminist anthem about raising your voice.

Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends on a mission--they're sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women's Rights Club. They post their work online--poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine's response to the racial microaggressions she experiences--and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by trolls. When things escalate in real life, the principal shuts the club down. Not willing to be silenced, Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices--and those of other young women--to be heard.
These two dynamic, creative young women stand up and speak out in a novel that features their compelling art and poetry along with powerful personal journeys that will inspire readers and budding poets, feminists, and activists.

Acclaim for Piecing Me Together
2018 Newbery Honor Book
2018 Coretta Scott King Author Award
2017 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Young Adult Finalist
"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson, award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at . . . the life-changing power of voice and opportunity." --Jason Reynolds, NYT-bestselling author of Long Way Down
"Brilliant." --John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
* “Teeming with compassion and insight." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the power of art, community, and friendship." --Kirkus , starred review
* "A nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality." --SLJ, starred review