Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, and it’s a treasure. Even if you haven’t read any other Jackie Woodson books, this one is still not to be missed. It’s a beautiful story about her childhood as an African American in the sixties and seventies.

My favorite parts were watching the author develop her love for stories and realizing the power of story and how to wield it. So lovely. It made me reflect on my own childhood as I was learning the same things.

Read it. You’ll be richer for it.