Waiting on Wednesday/Tutored by Allison Whittenberg

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  This meme spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

ISBN:9780385738699

Author:Whittenberg, Allison

Publisher:Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers

Publication Date:December 2010

Wendy Anderson and Hakiam Powell are at opposite ends of the spectrum—the social spectrum, the financial spectrum, the opportunity spectrum, you name it. Wendy lives in an all-white suburb of Philadelphia, where she’s always felt like the only chip in the cookie. Her dad, who fought his way out of the ghetto, doesn’t want her mingling with “those people.” In fact, all Wendy’s life, her father has told her how terrible “those people” are. He even objects to Wendy’s plan to attend a historically black college. But Wendy feels that her race is more than just the color of her skin, and she takes a job tutoring at an inner-city community center to get a more diverse perspective on life.

Hakiam has never lived in one place for more than a couple of years. When he aged out of foster care in Ohio, he hopped a bus to Philly to start over, but now he’s broke, stuck taking care of his cousin’s premature baby for no pay, and finding it harder than ever to stay out of trouble. When he meets Wendy at the tutoring center, he thinks she’s an uppity snob—she can’t possibly understand his life. But as he gets to know her better, he sees a softer side. And eventually—much to the chagrin of Wendy’s father and Hakiam’s cousin—they begin a rocky, but ultimately enlightening, romance.

This edgy story about a star-crossed couple features strong African American characters and sparkles with smart, quirky dialogue and fresh observations on social pressures and black-on-black prejudice.

 I like everything about this book: the strong African American characters, the star-crossed lover reference and the fact that this delves into social pressures and black-on black prejudices. In finding this book, I also found a new author Allison Whittenberg whose other works include Sweet Thang,  Life is Fine, and Hollywood and Maine. Since this books will not be released until December, I will definitely be reading her other books.