Middle Grade/Young Adult
I Hadn’t Meant To Tell You This
Marie and Lena are both motherless. Marie is black and well off. Lena is white and poor. And in the small town of Chauncey, Ohio blacks and whites don’t mix. But Lena and Marie become friends anyway. One of them has a terrible secret and the other must decide—Is it best to keep it? Or should she tell someone fast?
Where it takes place:
In the small town of Chauncey, Ohio.
Where I wrote it:
Provincetown, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York.
Why I wrote it:
I wanted to write a novel about friendship and in it, I wanted to show how destructive racism and classism can be. I also wanted to write about the “secret” in the book—to say to young readers—”Don’t be afraid. You are not alone.”
Awards
- ALA BBYA
- ALA Notable
- Coretta Scott King Honor
