After Tupac and D Foster

For our chapter book assignment I chose to read After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson. This book is packed full of different stories, perspectives, and thought provoking ideas. I am surprised at how short it is for having so much content. Woodson shares the story of two young girls, Neeka and the unnamed narrator. They are the best of friends growing up in Queens. Another young girl named D comes into the picture when she moves to town and the three girls become fast friends. The narrator and her single mother are trying to make ends meet. Her best friend Neeka grew up in a large churchy family with all kinds of their own problems. Both of them come from a world where mothers are everything and fathers don’t play a huge role. But even though their families have rules and curfews, they have parents who seem to care, which is something D would trade all the roaming in the world for. D comes from a broken background with years spent in many foster homes and cities. The group of girls idolize rapper Tupac Shakur because he makes music that they can all relate to.He sings about the things they’re living. They hear his music and have something that is real to them, because his art is very real for them. His music is always there and is something they can all depend on. D Showed up before Tupac had ever been shot, and her mother made her move away the summer before he died. During the time that the girls spent together, they bonded over Tupac and felt as though they lived a hundred lives even though it had only been a couple years. The book follows the story of Tupac and the girls’ lives together as one and promotes so much thought for young and mature readers. Woodson packed in quite a few heavy topics that I think she wants her readers to have an open dialogue about. There is instances of orphans, rap music and gang violence, homosexuality, jail visitations, and failed accomplishments. These are topics that you wouldn’t normally find in a children’s book, and that’s something I really like about this book. I think we often try to shelter kids from hearing about difficult issues, but it is possible to discuss those issues without it being too graphic or dramatic for kids. These are problems that so many millions of people experience, so hiding it and pretending the issues aren’t there won’t make them go away. Children naturally have so much compassion and I think that if we face these conversations earlier on in life, we might end up with adults who have more compassion for people in those situations. After Tupac and D Foster is laced so flawlessly with the relationship between these kids and their love of music, and just how real the impact of our favorite musicians can be on our lives.