The House You Pass on the Way [Turtleback]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

No Description Available

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The daughter of an interracial couple, 14-year-old Staggerlee is already an outsider when she wonders if she is gay, too. PW's starred review called this a "poignant tale of self-discovery" and praised Woodson's "graceful, poetic" prose. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) r
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9. In this understated story set in a small, mostly African-American community in the South, Staggerlee Canan is shunned by her peers because her mother is white. This is not the sole cause of her isolation, however. She has a secret. In sixth grade, she had kissed another girl. Rejected by that friend, Staggerlee has no one to talk to about her sexual feelings until her adopted cousin, Trout, visits for the summer when both girls are 14. Both wonder if they are gay, but sexual identity is really only one of the things that troubles them. Their platonic intimacy is the intense kind shared by friends who see themselves as different from the crowd. Asked by Trout to say whether she's black or white, Staggerlee replies, "I'm me. That's all." That they seem to be taking different paths in the end adds to the story's poignancy. This richly layered novel will be appreciated for its affecting look at the anxious wonderings of presexual teens, its portrait of a complex interracial family, and its snapshot of the emotionally wrenching but inarticulate adolescent search for self. It's notable both for its quality and for the out-of-the-way places it goes.?Claudia Morrow, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606295585
• ISBN-13: 978-0606295581
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing story of finding yourself., April 27, 2006

By 

Karusichan "Karusichan" (Lansing, MI. USA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House You Pass on the Way (Mass Market Paperback)

"seemed like this town, their house, was all just something you passed along the way".

Staggerlee is a young woman of fourteen who has taken on a separate identity. She used the titular character of the famous song to honor the point that the character in the song struggled to break out of the gates someone had built around him. For her this rings true, because there are several obstacles she struggles against daily. For one thing her grandparents were famous civil rights activists who were killed for their cause in a bombing some years back. Then there's the fact that Staggerlee is the daughter of a white woman and a black man in a community that is predominately black to begin with and her parents are the only bi-racial couple. This has caused tension in her family on her father's side because his sisters have refused to accept the validity of the marriage and have chosen estrangement in lieu of accepting the marriage. Finally, there's the struggle of Staggerlee's sexuality to deal with. When she was in the sixth grade she kissed a friend named Hazel who immediately shunned her for doing this, so Staggerlee has closeted her feelings towards women thinking them taboo and not something people talk about.

When Staggerlee's Aunt Hallique dies her other Aunt Ida Mae sends a letter to her parents telling of it, and that she wishes to send her adopted daughter, Tyler, to visit for the summer. This seems odd to her father, Elijah, that for years they were ignored and then out of nowhere they send their daughter to see them. At first he won't allow it but Staggerlee argues for the visit when she realizes that Tyler is her age, and she sees a photo of her and finds her intriguing. Elijah gives in and when Tyler does arrive she stirs up all sorts of emotions in Staggerlee not unlike her experience with Hazel. Her interest in Tyler is doubled when on their meeting Tyler asks to be called Trout and explains that a trout will fight you with all it's strength to be free when you catch one. This appeals to Staggerlee and the to become fast friends, eventually confessing their mutual attraction to women and what this might mean in the grand scheme of things.

This book has so many layers to it, which is amazing considering it's a mere 114 pages long. For the one thing there is the question of race, the ethical and the implications of accepting people for more than just the color of their skin. Second there is the sexual aspect of it. It is so important for young people who are gay to understand that it is not wrong or evil like some narrow minded people would have one believe. Even in this book it is hard for the two girls to say the word "gay" and admit that they might be so, and even when one decides that it is easier to be straight and go along with everything that she "should" be doing the other girl who seems more sure still won't say that she is gay or not. What about our culture makes this a dirty word? Why must we still view movies like "Brokeback Mountain" or books like "The House You Pass on the Way" as "controversial" or "groundbreaking" work? How many more years before work like this is accepted as the social norm? I realize the implications in this book concerning civil rights of course. 40 years ago we were fighting for African American rights and that of other minorities (women's rights, Latino, Asian, senior citizens, etc.) and really one of the last frontiers we have to deal with when it comes to civil rights is to open the doors for the GLBTQ community to be allowed to marry, visit their spouses in the hospital, share benefits such as health insurance and other medical benefits, and be seen as equals, not just a marginalized group. I found the parallels of those two movements fascinating and enjoyed the contrast in the attitudes. Whereas Staggerlee's parents were unaccepted for their choice in love would her parents have been understanding in accepting her for hers?

This is a very important book for everyone to read, not just young adults. As a gay woman I see the power of literature like this. As a gay woman I am also offended that this was a title I had to order into the book store I work at because our distributor didn't find it necessary to carry something like this in our children's section. Please, we need more work of this caliber. Everyone needs to realize that these are issues that are present in our world and cannot be ignored as if they are not there because a few people are unwilling to see the truth. Read this book, buy it for a friend, buy it for anyone who wants something with a bit of an edge to it (I shudder to even use the word "edge" as I wish this subject matter wasn't considered "edgy"). Read it because it's something that simply needs to be said.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It offers many questions for discussion., July 26, 2004

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House You Pass on the Way (Mass Market Paperback)

Young Staggerlee named herself after seeing her late, famous grandparents perform a song with that name on old tapes of The Ed Sullivan Show. She knows she is different from other girls. Being the middle child in a busy family makes it hard enough to find her way. One of her favorite memories is when she kissed her friend, a girl named Hazel. Unfortunately, Hazel soon turned on her at school, and that was the end of their friendship.

When her adopted cousin Tyler is sent to stay with them for the summer, she finds out that Tyler is confused about herself as well. What a relief to discover she is not alone.

Jacqueline Woodson is the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for MIRACLE'S BOYS and has been nominated twice for the National Book Award. She is undoubtedly a versatile writer --- as she is able to deal with the subject of sexual identity in this book and discuss a family tragedy in poetry, as she did in last year's LOCOMOTION.

Staggerlee's story is no exception. One of the best features about the book is the theme that teens may explore different identities before finding themselves. The book also does not have black and white rules --- it offers many questions for discussion. THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY has multiple layers that should not be overlooked.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delicious Story About a Girl's Budding Sexuality, October 5, 2005

By 

Sistahs on the Shelf "The Home for Readers of... (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The House You Pass on the Way (Mass Market Paperback)

Remember what it was like having your first crush, that delicious sensation of something sweet and forbidden, but tingling with anticipation of doing it again?

That feeling is captured in Jacqueline Woodson's tender novel, THE HOUSE YOU PASS ALONG THE WAY. Evangeline "Staggerlee" Canan, the 14-year-old biracial protagonist of this tale, deals with her true feelings when her cousin, Trout, comes to visit.

Before Trout's arrival, Staggerlee's life is filled with longing. Despite being surrounded by a loving family, she's lonely and doesn't have many friends. She does grow close to new classmate Hazel, whom she kisses in between the cornflowers, but that soon fades once Hazel discovers Staggerlee's tragic family past.

Before her parents married, Staggerlee's grandparents were killed by a car bomb. Both famous entertainers, they were immortalized in her small town of Sweet Gum. Because of it--and her parents being an interracial couple--people look at Staggerlee and her family differently. They assume she's stuck up and treat her as an outcast.

Everything changes when Trout comes to Sweet Gum. Staggerlee's never met her 15-year-old cousin. But when she does, she's taken aback by Trout's beauty and presence. Trout's a little pensive at first, but the more the two spend time together, they learn they have a lot more in common. They share a love girls, both having had their first same-sex crushes. Because of this connection, their bond evolves into a deep friendship. Staggerlee has found somebody who truly knows how she feels. She realizes that her feelings for girls are real and valid.

Once Trout returns home, things do become different between them. But by then, Staggerlee has the confidence to be herself and gain friends in the process.

Woodson is a truly gifted writer to craft such a beautiful novel about a girl's seach for self. Not only did it showcase a young woman's budding sexuality, but highlighted the unconditional love of a family. One can truly say this novel takes you back to the past when love was fresh and new and innocent.