The Dear One

by Jacqueline Woodson

Feni has had her mother to herself for a long time. So when her mother takes in Rebecca, the pregnant fifteen-year-old daughter of an old friend, Feni is furious.

Rebecca’s just as unhappy; she feels like a charity case. But as much as they resist it, Feni and Rebecca might just become friends. After all, Rebecca needs someone to confide in, and Feni might discover she has room in her life for one more person—or even two.

This is a touching story about families of all sorts, even the unrelated kinds, and the love that holds them together.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, African American, Contemporary, Childrens, Coming Of Age

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.

I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.

I also told a lot of stories as a child. Not “Once upon a time” stories but basically, outright lies. I loved lying and getting away with it! There was something about telling the lie-story and seeing your friends’ eyes grow wide with wonder. Of course I got in trouble for lying but I didn’t stop until fifth grade.

That year, I wrote a story and my teacher said “This is really good.” Before that I had written a poem about Martin Luther King that was, I guess, so good no one believed I wrote it. After lots of brouhaha, it was believed finally that I had indeed penned the poem which went on to win me a Scrabble game and local acclaim. So by the time the story rolled around and the words “This is really good” came out of the otherwise down-turned lips of my fifth grade teacher, I was well on my way to understanding that a lie on the page was a whole different animal — one that won you prizes and got surly teachers to smile. A lie on the page meant lots of independent time to create your stories and the freedom to sit hunched over the pages of your notebook without people thinking you were strange.

Lots and lots of books later, I am still surprised when I walk into a bookstore and see my name on a book’s binder. Sometimes, when I’m sitting at my desk for long hours and nothing’s coming to me, I remember my fifth grade teacher, the way her eyes lit up when she said “This is really good.” The way, I — the skinny girl in the back of the classroom who was always getting into trouble for talking or missed homework assignments — sat up a little straighter, folded my hands on the desks, smiled and began to believe in me.

Reviews

[Nia Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. This one in some ways reminded me of 'The First Part Last' by Angela Johnson, another book that gave depth and character to teenage parents, portraying them as thoughtful and complex and in many ways fully cognizant of the seriousness of their situation. The idea that "they have no idea" and "don't know what they're doing" is both true and untrue, and when authors examine that paradox (or any paradox, honestly), it's very satisfying. I especially liked that in this one, fifteen-year-old Rebecca's pregnancy was seen through the eyes of Feni, an even younger girl, and together they grapple with its seriousness and consequences, and with the choices the grown-ups around them have made and are making. This was a short, quiet, impactful read. I recommend.

[Stephanie Kenner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teen Pregnancy

Afeni is twelve and lives with her mom in Seton, Pennsylvania. She lives a pretty spoiled life and wouldn't have it any other way. Rebecca is a pregnant teenager who comes from less fortunate circumstances, and when she comes to live with Afeni and her mother until her baby comes, Afeni is furious. She doesn't want to have anything to do with Rebecca at first and doesn't like anything about her. Rebecca feels the same way about Afeni. The girls are forced to share the same house, even the same room and must learn how to live in the same space with their opposing personalities. Slowly, the two girls get to know each other and end up learning a lot. This wasn't one of my favorite books this semester, but I thought the characters were very well-developed. Afeni's mother is best friends with a lesbian woman, so when Rebecca comes to live with them, she has to learn to be accepting of that fact. The book deals with a lot of difficult, but relevant, issues and Woodson addresses them really well. It's an easy read, so it could be recommended to a younger age group, but the subject matter is probably a little more for mature readers.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh this was a really difficult one for me to like. I didn't really relate to the main characters and by the time that I got to the end when they made a change I was pretty much over them and the book. I though Woodson did a great job handling a difficult topic from the perspective of a child; however, this definitely isn't one of my favorites by her. I'll have to give it more thought before I finish my full review. If you've read this book let me know what you thought of it.

[HillbillyMystic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swore I was not going to cry this time and I damn near made it. Then like all of her other books a flood of lost memories poured out at the most inopportune time. I wept in public, again, for the days and roads gone forever and the fading memories of carrying my baby around in her Bjorn reading and vacuuming, the nights she still fit and fell asleep on my chest and the countless times I calmed her down swinging her in my arms and singing, "The vagabond who's rapping at your door. Is standing in the clothes that you once wore. The carpet too is moving under you. And it's all over now baby blue."

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"You can't always be pushing people away. Someday nobody'll come back."

—Rebecca, "The Dear One", P. 117

"You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that the cement is all hard. What you gonna do then?"

—Rebecca, P. 64

Jacqueline Woodson's quiet lyricism never fails in the creation of any of her new books.
"The Dear One" tackles a variety of thorny issues head-on, including teen pregnancy, adoption, and complex living scenarios. Feni, Rebecca, and all of the other characters come off the page and into the reader's mind in full living color, three-dimensional and alive and very much human in all of their thoughts, feelings and intentions.
Ultimately, as is the case in most of Jacqueline Woodson's profoundly affecting novels, "The Dear One" emphasizes not so much the events that take place in the lives of the people as much as it stresses how the characters choose to react because of who they are. In this way we see a fresh method of writing, one that Jacqueline Woodson molds to her own skills and works very effectively.
"The Dear One" is a very good story that people of all races and lifestyles will be able to appreciate as good literature. For me, it would fall somewhere in the two-and-a-half to three-star range.

"People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do...Don't worry about other people. Worry about you."

—Marion, "The Dear One", P. 56

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent YA novel concerns Afeni, who is twelve years old and lives with her mother. Her parents are divorced, and her mother is a recovering alcoholic, but things have been stable for Afeni and she and her mother certainly don't lack for anything -- her mom is also a bit of a workaholic. Afeni's world gets shaken up when her mother decides to take in Rebecca, the pregnant fifteen-year-old daughter of an old college friend. Afeni is most certainly NOT happy about this; she doesn't want to share her space, especially not with a girl who was dumb enough to end up pregnant. Gradually, however, she and Rebecca form a bond, and Afeni learns to take down some of the walls she built up when her mother wasn't doing as well.

This novel is populated with warm, realistic characters; I particularly liked Marion and Bernadette, a lesbian couple who are friends with Afeni and her mother. The growth of the relationship between Afeni and Rebecca is treated realistically -- there is no sudden moment when they are friends. Instead it's a slow process, and the two of them often backslide into adversarial behavior. I wish the novel had been a little longer; Woodson's novels are always brief, and she does wonderful things in a short span of pages, but I would sometimes like her to try writing a long novel and see what happened. The other thing about the novel that niggled at me a little is that Rebecca is hugely lucky in terms of the attitudes of the people who adopt her child, which was great because I wanted her to be happy, but I did wonder how realistic it really was (it was an open adoption, and Rebecca was to be allowed to visit her child, etc., which I know does happen, I'm just not sure how often).

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i must say this book was not one of my favorite ones but i did enjoy the story.It all starts with a young girl named rebecca.Rebecca is fifteen and pregnant and poor. Afeni is twelve, wealthy, spoiled, and doesn’t care to have a pregnant girl living in her house even if the girl is the daughter of her mother’s best friend from college.Rebecca starts off being ratty and mean to afeni because she is jeaolous of afenis richness and at the fact that she gets everything. From day one, the girls hate each other and must figure out how to live under the same roof with each other and all of their opposing ideas. These two girls go through many ups and downs throughout the story. Afeni tries to control her temper against the visitor but cant manage to since rebecca is always insulting her. The story takes place in Pennsylvania in the fictionalized town of Seton. This book helps teenagers be concerned about the struggleling life u may get when being pregnant at a young age and makes you think more about having sex in an early age. This book also mentions many things about sex to teenagers and informs them how things teenagers use for sex may not be 100% protective such as condoms. Rebecca teaches afeni about her sex life and how she shouldnt follow her footsteps. Through the story rebecca is really teaching afeni something without her even noticing. This shows how much they both reallycare about each other. This would be a really good book to teenagers who would like to know stories about getting pregnant at a young age!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Feni protests against her mother allowing a fifteen-year-old pregnant girl live with them until the baby arrives. Yet, her mother insists on doing a favor for an old friend. Feni and her single mother live an upper class neighborhood while Rebecca’s family struggles to make ends meet. When Rebecca first arrives, Feni finds her rude and obnoxious. Rebecca views Feni as a sheltered rich girl who has everything she wants. In the beginning, they clash and exchange some harsh remarks towards one another. Gradually, their friendship blossoms into a sister-like relationship. Aside from teen pregnancy, The Dear One touches upon several other real-life issues including class differences, living with a single parent, alcoholism, gay/lesbian relationships, and loss of a loved one. I especially enjoyed the “sex talk” Feni has with her mother. She feels comfortable admitting that before Rebecca came around she never thought about sex much, but now she thinks about it all the time. I was slightly disappointed that Feni’s mom holds off on talking about safe sex and birth control; she just tells Feni they will talk about it when Feni is ready. While she leaves the door open for future discussion, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to inform Feni about safe sex practices.

[ShaNell Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good considering that I don’t really read book like this. I only read books like this for school. This book was about: a twelve yea old girl name Afeni and a fifteen year old girl named Rebecca. Rebecca is pregnant and poor. Afeni is wealthy, spoiled, and doesn’t care to have a pregnant girl living in her house even if the girl is the daughter of her mother’s best friend from college. In the beginning of the book Afeni and Rebecca hated each other and must figure out how to live under the same roof with each other and all of their opposing ideas. Afeni couldn’t understand how a girl so young could get herself into so much trouble. Afeni didn’t want not be under the same roof with her. When Rebecca arrives: she is mean, bossy, and uneducated. But it’s hard not to be curious about a girl so close to her in age who seems so different. This was the second book Jacqueline Woodson wrote. She said “I wanted to write about teenage pregnancy. At the time I was working with runaway and homeless young people—many of whom were pregnant. I wanted to write a novel that spoke to them.”

[cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

the plot in this book is about a girl named Afeni she was a bit spoiled. and she doesn't want this girl Rebecca to come live in there house. becuase she got pregant at the age of 15 and she was living there until the baby was born. and after a while of Rebecca and Afeni getting in to drama. they became friends and now Afeni doesn't want Rebecca to leave.
i can connect to this book becuase near the end when Rebecca was telling her grade on a test. it reminded me of me and my friends how we try to show off like Afeni and Rebecca did. and how before they didnt like each other at all. and now i hang out with people that before i may not have liked.
i gave this book 5 out of 5 stars becuase this was great and had a lot of details. and i was never bored in this book and i think i might read this book again. i would recomed this book to someone who knows someone who was pregant young. or someone who likes books about friendship they would like this book.

[Priscilla Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what always amazes me about Jacqueline Woodson's books is that I like them, a lot, even when it feels like nothing much is happening in them. Not in that 'no action, boring' sense, but in that the stories are very internal or very dialogue-driven. Somehow, I still want to read them and I still feel like I get pulled into their worlds.
'The Dear One' had a few clumsy spots where I think Woodson wrote too little, either in terms of description or reaction. But I really enjoyed the contrast between Feni & Rebecca, & the two worlds they represented. I liked getting a sense of the isolation of the black community in Seton & the complexity of being a black professional in that world, or being the child of black professionals. There were, maybe too often, times I wanted more or needed more as a reader, blanks I couldn't fill in or even get the proper shape of. But I didn't want to stop reading it once I started, & now that it's over, I miss it.

[Brittany Christensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Teen Pregnancy / Friendship
In this story twelve year old Afeni must learn to live with and get along with fifteen year old, pregnant Rebecca. While dealing with the all too recent death of her grandmother and divorce of her parents, Feni is sure she will have nothing in common with the new girl in her house. But after getting past the initial negative impressions, the girls come to rely on each other and to learn from each other as well. Although the plot is not very exciting or even sometimes present, the relationships between the characters are believable, strong, and compelling. This book would be a good inspirational tool for those struggling with teen pregnancy or for those who need to better understand the psychological ramifications of such an ordeal.

[Imani ♥ ☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of Woodson's best but it was still okay. I think it may have been a bit too short and I kind of lost the story in a few places. And the plot was a bit cliche'. What's that girl's name...um...umm...well I know it means "Dear One" in Swahilli or something so we'll call her that. So "DO" has this cousin who she doesn't really talk to who got pregnant. Her and her mom live in this really fancy neighborhood or whatever(although "DO" doesn't really fit in because she thinks they're stuck up). Anyway, so, her pregnant cousin comes to live with her and her mom...to, gosh I can't even remember anymore. Well, anyhoo, they learn to like each other and on and on. Sigh. A bit cliche'. I've seen better from Woodson.

[Kayla Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dear One was a great story that made me want to read more. In this book it taught me that you should never judge someone unless you get to know them.
Feni is not with her life, her working mother is never home and to make matters worse Feni has to share a room with a guest she doesn't like. Rebecca is temporarily moving in with Feni and her mother as she waits to give birth. Feni is not thrilled at Rebecca's bossy attitude but is curious about her life. soon Rebecca lets down her tough shell and Feni finally sees the real Rebecca. Feni is thrilled to have a new friend but when Rebecca gives birth, Feni is sad to see her leave after all they've been through.
I recommend this book to 7th graders and up because it is a great book that teaches a valuable lesson.

[John Wetterholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first Feni and Rebecca seem, and believe themselves to be, as different as can be. Feni lives in a well-to-do neighborhood and leads a comparatively sheltered life. Rebecca is from Harlem and is street smart and pregnant at fifteen. Their mothers are old friends, and when Rebecca comes to live with Feni and her mother until the baby is born, neither girl wants to get along with the other. Gradually they come to realize that they have a lot more in common than they think and their adversity is transformed into first tolerance and then abiding friendship. A compelling evocation of the truth that there is far more uniting us than dividing us, "The Dear One" shows Woodson's unmatched ability to create characters we eagerly admire and who jump off the page and into our hearts.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Jacqueline Woodson. The author managed to work in nearly every politically correct topic in the book's 144 pages: alcoholism, divorce, single parenting, blended families, same sex relationships, economic privilege vs white privilege, teen pregnancy, open adoption, dysfunctional parents, elective mutism AND throws in a sentence about drug use. Whew. Aside from the occasional over reaching to hit all the points it is a warm story of two girls, in very different circumstances, who are really very much alike. And maybe that is the real point of the story - we are more alike than we are different. And that crazy parent and the extended family loves you and in the end "all of us would be around somewhere" in the new baby's life, in each other's lives.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absoulutly love this book. It teaches lots of life leasons. I don't remember alot about thid book, but I do remember that it's about a girl named Lena, and her 15 year old cousin, Rebecca, moves in with her and is giving her a really hard time. Rebecca is pregnet so her mother desides to let her move in with her sister(Lena's mother), because all of her brothers and sisters would stress her out during the pregnancy. So, anyways to make a REALLY long story short Rebecca was a snob and disrespected all her surroundings, but at the end she started getting along with everyone and she named her baby after Lena, and in swaheli it means the dear one

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afeni (which means "the dear one" in Swahili) is a 12-year-old girl dealing with the tragic death of her beloved grandmother and her parents' divorce.

When Rebecca, the daughter of her mother's childhood friend, comes to live with Afeni and her mother, Afeni is not pleased. Rebecca, 15, is pregnant, and Afeni is sure they will have nothing in common.

At first, the girls clash, but they slowly become friends. Through a cast of strong female characters, Woodson takes on such weighty issues as teen pregnancy, adoption, and the divide between the haves and the have-nots. There is not much plot, but the relationships are rich and believable.

[Yomiuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dear One by Jacqueline Woodson is a great book about a girl who has lived all her life with only her mother in a rich neighborhood and had never had to share anything with anyone. But then the daughter of her mother's best friend gets pregnant and needs help. So Rebecca comes to live with Feni and her mother until she gives birth because things weren"t going so well for Rebecca's mother. Feni then has to learn to share her things with Rebecca which at the beginning is very hard for her because she is very spoiled. At the end Feni learns the true meaning oif life is not what you recieve in life is what you give and the beauty of it too.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

he plot in this book is about a girl named Afeni she was a bit spoiled. and she doesn't want this girl Rebecca to come live in there house. becuase she got pregant at the age of 15 and she was living there until the baby was born. and after a while of Rebecca and Afeni getting in to drama. they became friends and now Afeni doesn't want Rebecca to leave. this book can connect to a lot of us because there are always those friends we have where at first we really did not like them then later on you LOVE them and never want them to leave mever
I gave this book a 4 star because it was really good and really sweet. but really was not one of the best books

[Nahla Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like the main character because she is fifteen and pregnant. I did not like the fifteen year old who's name is Rebecca because she is bossy mean and uneducated.I did not like that the mother lets a girl who is a stranger that they do not know into their house that her daughter Feni does not like.




i could relate to the character feni because she is the only child and she is spoiled but when the fifteen year old named Rebecca came everything changed .The plot moved vey fast cause it was related to my friend.


The problem in the story was interesting because many teen girls go through this.The lesson in this story can apply to many teen girls.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

teen at 15 pregnant must suck. Feni knwos all about it a perfect girl mean pretty than gets this turned to her. has an attitude, and hates the world. feni trys to welcome her but the girl could care less. she wishes she were never born. ANd her parents support heer.

i can not connect to this at all. This is because i didnt have this experience. In anyway, neither did any of my friends/
i give it 5 stars because it gives you lessons. that are good . i recommed this to anyone who wants to make sure thast this does not happen to them.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is about a girl named feni. feni's mom welcomes a 15 year old pregnantt girl in their home. this girl is mean, has an attitude, and hates the world. feni trys to welcome her but the girl could care less. she wishes she were never born.
i could connect this book to real life because girls get pregnant early these days then soon regret it!
i gave this book 4 stars because i enjoyed it and i suggest people who love books based on true story should read this book.

[Trena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book The Dear One was a nice book to sit back and read. i found it Interested becuase I was reading along I wanted to know how this lillte girl, well, pre-teen was feeling when her mother had told her she was going to have to share the house with another person and it kind of reminded me of myself. The title of the book made me wonder that it stood for a baby and not someones name. Aferni means Dear One thats why her grandmother named her that.

[Emily]

This is a really good book about grasping onto a friendship. Its really sad, since Rebecca is pregnant at 15, a VERY young age. I feel bad for Rebecca, but I know and am very sure that she will never forget Feni and Her mom. And the couple Marion and Bernadette (those very... Interesting times that she had to witness...). This book is EXTREMLEY good, so I hope that you will have a chance to read this. Thanks

[Ema · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fast, but impacting read. The book highlights some of the emotional difficulties of teenage pregnancies, of the teenager herself and those around her. Throughout the whole book, I wanted to hate Feni for being such a bitch, but I couldn't bring myself to it. I actually found myself rooting for her instead of Rebecca, when it should have been the other way around. It has a good grasp on the true meaning of friendship, and one of Woodson's best.

[╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've decided I don't really care for the open-ended conclusions Woodson leaves in all her books. They all feel like they could be marvelous if they were just a smidgen longer. I did think this book was better fleshed out than I Hadn't Meant to Tell You That . The characters had depth and the story felt more real but I still felt like it was somewhat shallow in areas.

My favorite of her books is still the very first one I ever read. Beneath a Meth Moon

[Read Ribbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I move through Jacqueline Woodson books, I read the 1991 YA novel The Dear One now published int he Penguin Speak collection. With teenage pregnancy as its central focus, the Dear One stay more innocent in the eyes of the young narrator and focuses on the importance of friendship and support during difficult times. It is an affirming novel of the women characters -- young and old -- come together to help each other.

[Ella DGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dear One is a very good book. It is eyeopening on the differences in people. Feni is a 12 year old girl who lives in a big house with only her mother. They are wealthy and Feni is very spoiled. Her mother agrees to have 15 year old Rebecca come live with them for a couple of months. Rebecca is pregnant and needs somewhere to go besides her house with her crazy mom and her siblings. They do not get along at first but become very close friend. It is a very good book.

[☆•Käthÿÿ•☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like I said before this book looks good because a lot of things happened in chapter one. I would recommend this book to anyone that has problem with a 15 year old girl that is pregnant living in your house. It would be fun if our E.L.A teacher Ms.Erickson would read it because it would expire some girls why they shouldn't have kids at an early age