Customer Reviews

Finding My Place

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Tiphanie Jayne Baker's parents move her from her home in Denver to a suburb in Brent Hills, Colorado. She no longer lives around the black kids she's known all of her life. This ninth grader is now the only black girl and one of only two black students at Brent Hills High. She isn't sure who her friends are or if those she thought were her friends really were. Where does she fit in?

Tiphanie: She had to deal with difficult classmates (one in particular), assumptions about black people, and uncomfortable situations, but she was a strong girl.

Jackie Sue: It seemed her large vocabulary gave her the confidence she needed around those who thought so little of her. Knowing so many different words made her feel like there was at least one thing about her that made her as important as anybody else. If she had a more loving mother, maybe she wouldn't have felt so less than.

Mae (Jackie Sue's mother): She was hanging on to her accomplishments of the past and blaming her daughter for her problems in the present. I wasn't happy with her.

Morris and Annie Baker (Tiphanie's Parents): It's a lot of pressure for any black person to be expected to be an example for the whole African American race, but that was what these parents expected of their young daughter. It was great that Mr. and Mrs. Baker worked hard to get ahead in the world, but for people who believed others were against them because of the color of their skin (and I'm sure many were) they had their own racist, uppity attitudes. They move their child to a place where she had to go to a predominately white school, but then Mrs. Baker has a problem with her daughter having a white friend? Or would she have been okay with Jackie if she didn't consider her mom white trash? No matter what skin color, we all have issues.

This was a good, thought-provoking read. I had mixed feelings about the choice Jackie Sue made in the end.

In 1975, Tiphanie (pronounced Tiffany!) has more to worry about than what to wear on the first day of school. Tiphanie's family has just moved from a largely minority neighborhood in Denver to an expensive suburb, where she is the only black girl at her new high school. Tiphanie narrates the story, and her chapters are interspersed with lectures from her upper-middle class parents, such as "The Talented Tenth Lecture," where they remind her that she has to work twice as hard as her white classmates, or "The company you keep lecture," where they remind her that her friends are a reflection on her. When no one wants to talk to Tiphanie at school except another social outcast, Jackie Sue, who grandly refers to herself as "walking talking trailer trash," the two of them decide to form the Oreo squad, a new group among the high school cliques.

But when Jackie Sue won't defend Tiphanie against racial slurs by another classmate, Tiphanie's not sure what kind of friend Jackie Sue really is. Jackie Sue seems to have a lot of secrets, ones that she can't or won't share with Tiphanie. Moreover, Tiphanie's not sure how she fits in anymore-- her friends from the old neighborhood warn her not to start turning her back on her people by hanging around too many white kids. Her parents, on the other hand, are anxious for her to make friends with "young ladies from better circumstances," such as the black kids from Booker and Breeze, a social and civic organization for well-to-do black families.

In this novel, Traci Jones examines serious issues of prejudice with a terrific sense of humor--I laughed out loud at numerous places in the novel. She explores overt prejudice against blacks--such as the biased math teacher who doesn't believe that black children belong in her honors math class, or Tiphanie's classmate Clay, who makes blatantly racist remarks, but also more subtle types of prejudice, such as Jackie Sue thinking that Tiphanie will want to date the only black boy at their high school, just because they're the same race. She also incorporates prejudice of an economic type; for example, Tiphanie's parents don't want her to socialize with Jackie Sue because she comes from "trailer trash."

I found Finding My Place to be a very enjoyable story. While it is likely to appeal more to girls than boys, it's a story that can appeal to kids of any ethnic background, since its exploration of friendship, adapting to a new environment, and overcoming various forms of prejudice should be of interest to any teen or tween. This would be an excellent novel to purchase for school and public libraries, as well as for summer reading.

I have been reading my way through Traci L. Jones' books since discovering what an excellent writer she is. "Finding My Place" is another compelling work by the author that resonates with me, having grown up during the same period as the main character and having faced many of the same issues. Jones brings a realistic and powerful perspective to the experiences of trying to fit in in high school when one is isolated racially or by class. This would be an excellent book for class discussion about themes of racism, racial identity development, class, peer accountability, and more.

The year is 1975 and Tiphanie Baker's parents have made it: they've achieved a level of success that allows them to afford a nice home and a nice school which happen to be outside the Black community where Tiphanie has spent her entire life. Her parents promise to help her keep in touch with her friends but even Tiphanie knows that will be difficult. Mr. and Mrs. Baker support their daughter by requiring the best of her because like Black parents of that generation, their mantra is `be twice as good'. The thing is, they're out of touch with their daughter's issues. While they cling to the civil rights issues they fought to over come, Tiphanie struggles to know who she is and how she belongs in world where everyone is White.

Jones handles what could be overwhelming issues with a deft hand. By focusing her story on its main character, we're able to understand the complexities behind Tiphanie's thoughts and actions. Situations are presented in ways that readers of any race will find something to relate to, struggle with and enjoy. Tiphanie isn't out to change the world, simply to find her place in it.

Her friendship with Jackie Sue led the story to transcend racial issues and explore what it means to be a friend. Tiphanie is so self centered, that she either doesn't see or ignores the fact that her friend, her only friend at this point, has serious problems. Poorly developed situations results in the character seeming weak.

As a member of the class of 1975, I enjoyed the many references to that era. I didn't realize how much kinder and gentler we were at that time. This change in setting gives young readers a nice change in reading materials.

Finding My Place contains no profanity, sex, drugs or alcohol ; some violence

Set in 1975, Tiphanie and her parents are moving from Denver to Brent Hills a Colorado suburb. Tiphanie will be entering the ninth grade and she will be the only Black female student. No one speaks to Tiphanie the first few days, Jackie Sue is the first person to speak her. Tiphanie family moved because her father got a promotion at the bank. Tiphanie's mother works in real estate. Many of the students that attend Tiphanie's new school come from financially successful families. The students are afraid to speak to Tiphanie fearing what others may think. Jackie Sue as no such fears since she is considered an outcast for living in a trailer.

Slowly Tiphanie begins to adjust to her new school. Though now, Tiphanie worries about what her friends from the old neighborhood will think. Tiphanie is searching to find a balance between her two worlds. I really liked Tiphanie, she is a very well grounded thanks to her parents, who were active in the Civil Rights Movement. Tiphanie's and Jackie Sue become close friends fast. . There friendship is tested by Jackie Sue's secrets.

I really enjoyed Finding My Place. It was a quick, fun and entertaining read. Jones knows how to write a good story and great diagloue. As with her debut, "Standing Against the Wind", the story moves along with ease. ages 10 up.

As the only African American girl in her new high school, Tiphanie Baker resented her parents' decision to move to this starchy white, upscale Denver suburb. Her dad's promotion to VP at the bank and her mom's new job as a realtor had enabled them to upgrade their home, but Tiphanie did not see it as much of a step up when she faced what felt like a sea of hostile white faces at her new school. Although the situation improved when Jackie Sue Webster broke the ice and struck up a friendship, Tiphanie soon learned that social class and poverty could also pose some large obstacles when trying to fit in and gain other people's approval.

Set in 1975 when the reforms of the civil rights movement were still recent, this book broaches the theme of discrimination as experienced by two very different high school girls. The author sets up an interesting question of what it means for an affluent African American youngster to establish her identity when she feels out of place in both her new predominantly-white school and in her old predominantly-black community. Add a low-income white girl with an alcoholic mother from a trailer park to the mix, and the end result is an interesting social commentary about race and class during the mid-1970s.