Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday/Tutored by Allison Whittenberg

Wednesday, August 25, 2010
 
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the SpineThis 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.

17 comments:

Tammy (The Book Fairy's Haven) said...

There should definitely be more books like these out there. Going to be adding this to my TBR pile - that's for sure!

Leanna Elle said...

Sounds like a good read!

June G said...

Ooh. Sounds good. I've never heard of this author, so I'll be on the lookout. Thanks!

Book Sake said...

Nice pick, I like the description of this one. Sounda like it has some meat to it!

Our pick is at BookSake.

Darlyn said...

Nice pick and the book sounds great. I think the book cover look familiar..

Irena @ This Miss Loves to Read said...

Now this definitely sounds like a novel so worth reading! I like the themes the novel probably explores, judging from the premise. I also love the cover, very pretty, a heart made out of a book, basically.

Maria (Serpentine Library) said...

Allison Whittenberg is a new to me author, but Tutored does sound like a novel that is definitely worth taking a look at.

danya said...

Haven't heard of this one before, but it sounds like a really interesting exploration of prejudice. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Elena said...

Looks like a great book! I just wanted to let you know that I gave you an award! Come check it out here:
http://elenasbookcafe.blogspot.com/2010/08/one-lovely-blog-award.html :D

Cecelia said...

Hmm...sounds a bit like Perfect Chemistry. Nice pick!

If you'd like, you can check out my WoW here.

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

This sounds soo good! I love the cover, too :)

Great pick!

Lyndsey OHalloran said...

Not heard of this one before but it certainly sounds interesting. Shall be adding it to my wishlist!

Lizzy said...

This one sounds really interesting. I'd seen the cover before, but I hadn't read the synopsis. I'll definitely have to add this to my list.

Belinda said...

Sounds interesting. Always looking for a great romance :D

Come by and read my WOW
http://thebookishsnob.blogspot.com

Laura Kozy Lanik said...

I just love the cover!

Aleksandra said...

I haven't read any of her books, but this one sounds really interesting! Great pick & I love the cover, too :)

Sas (Tea Mouse) said...

I'm not sure this is something I would read, but I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you for your comment on my WOW post. :)

 
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