From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Ages: 6+ Grades

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary: Melanin Sun, named because of the deep pigment of his skin, is a peculiar, but also ordinary 13 year old boy. He lives in Brooklyn with his Mama, EC, and spends the majority of his time with his two friends Raphael and Sean. But during these particular summer months, the time span for the book, Mel learns that his world is so much different than it seems. He struggles to make the first move to create a friendship between him and Angie the girl he likes, to hear the truth about his Mama’s sexual orientation, and find where he belongs when his world is turned upside down.

There are so many aspects of this novel that make it an exceptional one. The characters, especially Mel, the point of view, the conflict, the tone, and the theme, even the setup are all essential in making this novel such high quality. Mel’s character is for the most part a typical teenage boy however, when he talks his words slow him down a little. But, when he writes in his notebooks, his words are clear and powerful. Mel’s story told from his point of view helps us as readers delve into his character when he is going on with his daily life and even when he writes in his notebooks. In both of these settings, I was able to see how Mel lived his life and read what he enjoyed writing about. Sometimes in his notes he would bring up the word “faggot” and used it to describe some of the things he did, like collect stamps or talk about nature. I do not feel like Mel actually thought this about his hobbies, but his friends were awfully persuasive in making him think so. When EC told her son about her sexual orientation, and her love for Kristin,  he struggled with every detail. I could almost feel his anger and hostility towards EC when she explained that she was gay. From there on out, the struggle was not only between those two, but between, Mel and himself, and Mel and Kristin, EC’s partner. Mel’s refusal to accept this new knowledge changed the mood of the novel and he struggled with himself because he loved EC but not her choices. I could almost feel the struggle that he was facing when he wrote in his notebooks about his own feelings. In the end of the novel, there was more of a negotiation being made between characters as opposed to conflict resolution. I feel that even though there was a huge conflict, a perfect resolution would have been completely inappropriate. I felt that the interaction between Mel and Kristin in the end was filled with hope, another underlying, but important theme of the novel. 

I would have to say that the overall theme of the novel is one that helps readers acknowledge, maybe even understand different types of love and families. No two families are exactly alike and Jacqueline Woodson has an extraordinary way of portraying this in this particular novel. I feel that this text is written for a slightly older and mature audience because the topics that come up within the novel are definitely controversial. I would definitely include this novel in my classroom library because it is a unique piece of literature for young adults.