Jacqueline WoodsonContemporary Literature · Children's Books
Red at the Bone
Synopsis
Set in Brooklyn across two generations, Red at the Bone follows sixteen-year-old Melody as she navigates a pregnancy and her coming-of-age ceremony while her parents' own pasts unfold. Iris became pregnant as a teenager; Aubrey was raised by his mother alone after his father left — both families carry scars from their history that shape how they raise Melody. The novel moves between the present day and flashbacks to the 1960s, tracing the intertwined lives of two Black Brooklyn families whose choices about love, ambition, and family ripple across decades.