Nestled in a small town, amidst a sun-run-drenched summer...the story unfolds...
"That summer the fence that stretched through our town seemed bigger. We lived in a yellow house on one side of it. White people lived on the other."
Clover played with her friends, while Annie watches them from "The Other Side."
Annie's overture of friendship is squashed when Sandra (Clover's friend) rejects her (Annie's desire) to play with them.
Clover is caught in a quagmire of emotions.
Time passes by...
Eventually, Clover casts aside centuries of inhibition and summons courage to walk up to the fence.
Annie extends her hand in friendship and the two chat away in blissful oblivion.
Not to be left aside, Clover's friends join the duo and together it's quite a celebration.
Written by critically acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by notable illustrator E.B. Lewis, winner of numerous awards, "The Other Side" is a story of the invisible veil of racism that permeates our society.
It acts as a shroud that blankets us from reaching into our inner power of love, truth and compassion.
In the summer of 2020, I was introduced to Jacqueline Woodson, at my first-ever and that too a virtual SCBWI conference. Burrowed in a Covid world, I was grateful for this wonderful opportunity from SCBWI; of meeting one of the luminaries of the children's literary world.
I was smitten by Jacqueline Woodson's powerful contribution to the world of literature and writing.
True to my nature, I started checking out her books from my local library - the incredible Cincinnati Public Library and soon I had plunged myself into the "The Other Side".
I was stuck by the life-like renditions by E.B. Lewis. The gorgeous illustrations added another dimension to the story.
As I read further, I was taken aback by the well of emotions it stirred within me.
Having been raised in a gender-biased society, I could see how bias seeps into our lives at an unconscious level, preventing us from reaching into our inner essence of empathy, compassion and generosity.
If we can transcend this wall of prejudice and reach into our hearts, learning to co-exist harmoniously, we can transform our lives as well as those around us, as underneath we are all connected at a deeper level.
A must-read.
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