What the book is about

Woodson introduces an interracial couple. There is a black boy called Jeremiah who meets a white girl called Ellie at a private school in Manhattan. They are both fifteen years old and come from an upper class of society. From the beginning the reader can assume that they will probably fall in love and according to several hints they will have trouble with the fact that they are black and white. 

Ellie seems to have a great relationship to her older sister Anne. When Ellie tells Anne about a boy on the phone she is very interested. But when Ellie told about the fact that the boy Ellie likes is black she is not exited anymore. “I just think to have a boyfriend or girlfriend from a different race is really hard” (p. 56-57) Anne is lesbian and should know best that it is hard to stand for ones own feelings, if it is not the cultural norm or the certain way a society expects you to be.   

When Ellie talks with her father about Jeremiah he asks about what his parents are doing and sums up: when he is nice and smart they can be friends. Until now Ellie had no need to tell them that he is black.

In Chapter 11 Ellie and Jeremiah start to get closer and get to know each other better. When they walk through Central Park an older woman asks Ellie if she is alright because a black boy is walking next to her. They have to experience a couple of similar occurrences. The stupidity of people reacting towards the fact that a white girl has a black boyfriend is mentioned several times. At the end of this chapter Jeremiah asks Ellie if he could kiss her. Isn’t that a strange question? The first kiss should be a magic moment when both come together at the same time. This question ruins the whole atmosphere. However Ellie agreed and they had their first kiss. The whole development of their story and especially this conversation is superficial and predictable. Personally I am more than happy that I never had this weird situation.