Flake, S. (1998). The skin I'm in. New York: Jump
at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
Genre:
Multicultural
Age: 10 and up (Young Adult Chapter Book)
Summary: In this eye-opening tale about a 13-year-old girl named
Maleeka, readers are taken through a journey of a young girl who is ashamed of
the color of her skin and her homemade clothes. Maleeka is getting along just
fine by trading homework for pretty clothes with the mean-talking Charlese, but
things get stirred up when a new teacher comes into town and joins the staff.
Ms. Saunders, in her fancy outfits, takes the school by surprise when she puts
hope into the minds of many students at McClenton Middle School, including Maleeka
Madison. Ms. Saunders has a rare skin condition that the middle schoolers love
to make fun of, but her struggle with self-esteem and new-found confidence is
an inspiration for girls like Maleeka.
Reflection: This multicultural
tale of a young girl named Maleeka was both heart-breaking and inspiring. The young African American girl has skin
darker than most girls of her race and she struggles to find peace with this
and the loss of her father. Maleeka is the protagonist
in the story, because it is from her first
person narrative point of view, we learn about her struggle within. The
story is even written with a tone and language specific to her. For example: On page 16, it says, “When the second bell rings, I run to Miss
Saunders’s class like somebody set my shoes on fire. It don’t help none. Soon
as I walk in, I know I’m in trouble. Everybody’s got their head down and
they’re writing. Miss Saunders nods for me to take out paper and get to my
seat. ‘What does your face say to the world?’ is written on the blackboard. I
laugh, only it comes out like a sneeze through my nose.” Although there are
other types of conflict in the story, the main conflict is person vs. self, because Maleeka is struggling to find a confidence
in herself she never knew she had. She is becoming more comfortable with the way
she looks and finding things she is good at, such as writing. For example, on page 119, Maleeka comes
to a profound realization, “Some of us is
the wrong color. Some is the wrong size or got the wrong face. But that doesn’t
make us wrong people, now does it?”
This reminds me of myself in middle and high school. (Text-to-Self
Connection) Although I did not struggle with color identity, I was always
worried about how I looked and how I fit in. I worried all the time about what
people thought and I never realized that I had many special talents that made
me different from my classmates. I think many students in middle and high school
could relate to this main character and her struggle. As a teacher, it would be
interesting to ask students what they imagine Maleeka is doing with her life
now or ask them how Ms. Saunders got so many students to believe in themselves
and how she was different from the rest of the staff at the middle school. I
would recommend this to many students at this age, because it gives them the
opportunity to see the world from a difference perspective and learn that
although we all have differences, we are more alike than we know.
My favorite quote from the whole book is when Maleeka writes in her diary and shows the reader the changes that are happening within her mind.
Dear Diary:
Remember the acorn. Even when you don't see it growing, it's pushing past the dirt. Reaching for the sun. Growing Stronger.
-Maleeka
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