Watch Us Rise - by Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan (Paperback)

About the Book

"Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends. This year at their NYC high school, they plan to rock the theater and poetry clubs ... until Chelsea realizes the poetry club is more interested in the "classics" than poems that matter, and Jasmine has an experience that is more drama than theater. Sick over the way even their progressive school fails to listen to their voices, they start a new club, one dedicated to writing and creating work that supports women's ideas. Because art is never just art, and they know they can use their art to make a statement, to create change. They turn their voices to Write Like a Girl, an online outlet for essays, poems, and actions to inspire. But when Jasmine and Chelsea's work goes viral, fans and foes come out online and in real life, and the school administration threatens to shut them down for "instigating." Not willing to be silenced, Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices--and those of other young women--to be heard. Watch them write their way into every future they can imagine."--

Book Synopsis

"This stunning book is the story I've been waiting for my whole life; where girls rise up to claim their space with joy and power." -Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Speak

"An extraordinary story of two indomitable spirits." -Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of All American Boys and Tradition

"Timely, thought-provoking, and powerful." -Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner author Renée Watson teams up with poet Ellen Hagan in this teen feminist anthem about raising your voice.

Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends on a mission-they're sick of the way women are treated even at their progressive NYC high school, so they decide to start a Women's Rights Club. They post their work-poems, essays, videos of Chelsea performing her poetry, and Jasmine's response to the racial microaggressions she experiences-and soon they go viral. But with such positive support, the club is also targeted by trolls. When things escalate in real life, the principal shuts the club down. Not willing to be silenced, Jasmine and Chelsea will risk everything for their voices-and those of other young women-to be heard.
These two dynamic, creative young women stand up and speak out in a novel that features their compelling art and poetry along with powerful personal journeys that will inspire readers and budding poets, feminists, and activists.

Acclaim for Piecing Me Together
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Young Adult Finalist
"Timely and timeless." -Jacqueline Woodson, award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at . . . the life-changing power of voice and opportunity." -Jason Reynolds, NYT-bestselling author of Long Way Down
"Brilliant." -John Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
* "Teeming with compassion and insight." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A timely, nuanced, and unforgettable story about the power of art, community, and friendship." -Kirkus, starred review
* "A nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality." -SLJ, starred review

Review Quotes

"This stunning book is the story I've been waiting for my whole life; where girls rise up to claim their space with joy and power. I resolve to give a copy to every teenager I know!" --Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of SPEAK and SHOUT

"An extraordinary story of two indomitable spirits, the power of friendship, and what leadership looks like in the hands of young people today, Watch Us Rise is the novel we all need right now." --Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of ALL AMERICAN BOYS and TRADITION

"Timely, thought-provoking, and powerful. Watch Us Rise is an immediate young adult classic." --Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of DUMPLIN'

"Watch Us Rise is a source of inspiration on every page and a remarkable story of the power of young people to make a difference. And it's a great read." --Caroline Kennedy, bestselling author and editor of SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY

"Read this today. Give it to the young person in your life. It is an instruction manual to freedom and love and voice. It is a triumphant example of how literary arts and poetry intersect in our everyday lives and fortify the marrow of our survival." --Mahogany L. Browne, author of BLACK GIRL MAGIC and WOKE BABY

"A highly needed work for the #MeToo movement. . . . Watson and Hagan do not disappoint in this powerful story of two girls who take a stand against injustice while learning how to navigate a world that seeks to silence them." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A manifesto for budding feminists . . . An inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world" --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This intersectional, layered novel . . . covers a wide breadth of topics-institutionalized racism, how we undermine young women, feminism in the modern age-with a clear message: Girls are going to come out on top." --Marie Claire

"A complex and socially conscious coming-of-age tale featuring young women of color. . . . It's a message, and a story, that any teen could benefit from and enjoy." --Publishers Weekly

"Readers will be inspired by this story in which teens have the conviction and power to change and make their world better." --VOYA

"The girls' movement is compelling and meaningful . . . and their poetry and prose are polished and powerful." --BCCB

"A refreshingly unapologetic celebration of young women's voices. . . . Readers won't be able to help feeling empowered and uplifted by the end of the novel." --Booklist Online

"Timely and timeless, Piecing Me Together is a book about the ways young people deal with the hardships and heartbreak of everyday living while remaining whole and true to themselves." --Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING on PIECING ME TOGETHER

"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at the toxicity of sympathy, the unquenchable thirst of fear, and the life-changing power of voice and opportunity, all wrapped up in Jade" --Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling and award-winning coauthor of ALL AMERICAN BOYS on PIECING ME TOGETHER

"An important and deeply moving novel. Highly recommended." --John Green, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS on PIECING ME TOGETHER

About the Author

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel All the Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal, and Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love Is a Revolution, as well as acclaimed picture books: Summer Is Here, Maya's Song, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, and Harlem's Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City.
www.reneewatson.net; @reneewauthor

Ellen Hagan is a writer, performer, and educator. Her books include: Watch Us Rise (YA collaboration with Renée Watson), Reckless, Glorious, Girl, Don't Call Me a Hurricane and All That Shines. Ellen is Head of the Poetry & Theatre Departments at the DreamYard Project and directs their International Poetry Exchange Program with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. She co-leads the Alice Hoffman Young Writer's Retreat at Adelphi University and is on faculty in the low residency MFA program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives with her partner and children in New York City.
www.ellenhagan.com; @ellenhagan