Hayden's Behind You Review

books:


	• Behind You Jacqueline Woodson, 2004 - 118 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Anissa's book review

This book is all about how life changes for all the people that loved Jeremiah after two policemen shoot Jeremiah by accident. Each chapter is in the eyes of someone who loves him: his girlfriend, Ellie, his mother, Nelia, his father, Norman Roselind, his friends, Carlton and Kennedy, and his grandmother, Desire Viola Roselind, who is no longer alive.
Jeremiah explains that when you die you become the wind, and you go to each of the people that love you, and you whisper into the wind, "I will always remember you". Once you have gone to each of the people that loved you, you move on into your next life, but for Jeremiah it's too hard to leave behind the world that he was in before.
Desire Viola Roselind is now with Jeremiah, because neither of them is living. Desire Viola Roselind always says that Jeremiah "won't move on" and "he's always looking out on the world". Desire Viola would also talk about how Jeremiah could do whatever he wanted to. He could fly to the moon, or swim to the bottom of the ocean. Desire and Jeremiah could also choose what season they wanted to be in. Desire would always be sitting in spring, in her lawn chair, surrounded by a beautiful, flower filled, garden. Jeremiah always sits in the summer in the shade of a tree, holding a basketball.
Jacqueline Woodson is the author of this beautiful, bittersweet book. Behind You won the Coretta Scott King Award. I'm so surprised that there isn't twenty awards on the cover of the book, because of how beautifully Jaqueline Woodson writes. Here is a passage from Jeremiah's last chapter:

"Ellie. You're loved.
Carlton. You're loved
Mama. You're loved.
Pops. You're loved.
And Kennedy...hey, Kennedy...you got game yo!
And when each of the people you left behind has heard, you turn slowly, and begin your long slow walk into your new world. But some every now and then you stop, look behind you. And remember."
In this place in the book, I actually did start crying. Behind You is probably one of the best books I have ever read. Any book that has the power to make me cry must be an extraordinary book. This book makes me feel that the people that I have lost aren't gone forever. I also learned in this book that there is still a lot of racism against blacks, just like Jeremiah. I learned that if a policeman shoots a black person, they simply end up on desk duty, until things cool down.

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Meerz' book review

Behind You is a sad but hopeful ride, fulfilling and so well written that it got a Coretta Scott King Award. What made this book so good was the author, Jacqueline Woodson. Jacqueline Woodson has written so many other great novels. Behind You is about a teenage boy named Jeremiah. Miah was a black teenage boy who got shot by the police in Central Park. The book is about the grievings of his friends, family and loved ones that knew him. Each character in the book explains the way they dealt with their loss and how it changed their lives forever. In this story the writing was unforgettable and it blew me away.

This book deals with a lot of stuff teenagers go through, like finding out what your sexuality is, living with parents who are racist but pretend not to be, grieving over someone you loved and finding out where you belong in the world.

My favorite part was when Ellie Miah's white girlfriend said these words:

"There was no more Miah.
No more Miah.
No more Miah and me."

When I read that part of the book, I got chills all my body. It just warmed me up inside like a little oven. Read this book and maybe you will get chills yourself.

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Behind You

Behind you was an amazing book and really touched me. It is depressing book but totally worth the tears! It has good descriptions of the characters and the scenes. Every paragraph puts a picture into the reader's head. Each of the characters have their own story to tell. They talk about how life is like without Jeremiah. I am fourteen years old and really picky about books, but this one was the best book I have read this year!

Hayden's Behind You Review

Behind You is a book that is depressing, yet one of the most happily written books I've ever read. The story of this marvelous book begins with a young teenage boy Jeremiah seeing his dead body from the after-life after being shot by two cops when they mistake him for a criminal. A lot of people know Jeremiah, and every one of them is affected by his death in different ways.
Now normally, I would take my time reading a book like this simply because of how depressing it becomes, but not only will you keep reading Behind You, you will read it about five times. The book has a way of sucking you into the atmospheric world that Jacqueline Woodson has created, and even when it feels like there is no reason to go on, you'll still keep reading because of the hope you have that something good will happen.
There are a few flaws like how the author takes you through the perspective of multiple characters. It's a good idea, but you never really get to know each of the characters that well. Also the book is pretty short. Besides that, this is a must have for those of us who find every day life dull. Treasure it, take care of it. It's smart, it's original, and it breaks your perspective on how life works. It, in short, is a masterpiece that makes reading worth reading. The book isn't the best thing out there, but it comes pretty close.

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Touching Story

In If You Come Softly, Jeremiah Roselind was shot down by two policemen in a case of mistaken identity. Behind You continues where If You Come Softly left off, showing how Jeremiah's passing affected the lives of the people who were close to him. But it's not only family and friends who are dealing with the loss of Jeremiah; Jeremiah also has to come to grips with the fact that he's no longer with the ones he loves. He has moved on to a better place, yet he keeps watching the world and those who now have to live without him; unable to put it all behind him.
I'm not really into reading books where a character who has died is still hanging around with something to say, but Jeremiah was so likable in the first novel that I was glad he was a part of this one. This story was so touching.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Even though Miah was black and Ellie is white, they made sense together. Then Miah was killed. It was the end of their relationship, but it was the beginning of grief for the many people who loved him. Now Miah?s mother has stopped trying, his friends are lost, and Ellie does not know how to move on. And then there is Miah, watching; unable to let go. This beautiful novel explores the experiences of those left behind after a tragedy.

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