"Once upon a time, there was a boy. Once upon a time there was a mother. Once upon a time, there was a boy, and his mother loved him very much."

Celeste always knows how to carve my heart out😭 What a book that touches on so many things in this life. A big one being the bystander of systematic oppression. This novel is about someone who lived through oppression, finds safety and then ignores that oppression is still happening. Margaret's journey of atonement is then coupled with her son's coming of age in the very system his mother shirked. I just wanted to hug Bird, because my baby deserved to maintain his innocence. 

My Queen Sadie. Truly this book was just heartbreaking to witness kids be betrayed by the society they are told will protect them. Celeste captured the minority experience so well. She was even able to have good conversations on race relations and classism during crisis. There was just so much! My heart shattered reading Margaret's beautiful words, but I also felt so warm seeing Bird understand the magnitude and power of words. 

"She filled his head with nonsense, with mystery and magic, carving out space for wonder."