After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, J.  (2008).  After Tupac and D Foster.  New York:  Puffin Group.  151 pages, $7.99

Just as suddenly as D Foster came into their lives, she left them.  But no matter how brief their time together, they were connected nonetheless and they always will be.

D came into Neeka's and her best friend's lives when they were 11, and for almost three years, they were inseparable, joined by their passion for Tupac Shakur's music.  There was something intriguing about D; she'd been places and seen things, and she was a good friend and found good friends in Neeka and her best friend.  Neeka and her best friend have been best friends since they were babies, and one day D walks into their lives, and the girls are intrigued by her.  She's allowed to leave her neighborhood block, and she takes the bus by herself; these are two things Neeka and her best friend aren't allowed to do.  D is very vague about her life, but the girls discover that she lives with Flo, her foster mom.  D just goes with the flow of things, never making trouble for herself or for anyone else.  She has something important to figure out:  her Big Purpose, and she's sure she's not going to find it by getting into trouble.  Even though this seems a little strange to Neeka and her friend, the three girls quickly become good friends, primarily because of their passion for Tupac Shakur's music, but also because they're there for each other.  Neeka's best friend has mixed feelings about D.  Sometimes she feels a little jealous of her, but most times she knows that there's something about her that she definitely needs and wants in her life:  her friendship.  Then one day D announces that her mom wants to try to work things out with her again, and the girls realize that they won't be spending as much (if any at all) time together as they'd like, but they know that this is something that D has wanted for a long time, so it should be for the best and for everyone's best interest.  When D stops by Neeka's to let them know that she's moving, they meet her mom and discover that her name is actually Desiree Johnson, and she just went by D Foster because she's always been a foster child.  It surprises Neeka and her best friend to find out that as long as they've all been friends and as long as they've know each other, they don't really know D (Desiree) all that well.  They've never been to her house, and they don't know her phone number.  It's not until D goes to live with her mom that she gives them her phone number.  This bothers them because they realize that they don't really know her as much as they feel they should, but at the same time, they know that they'll always be good friends, they'll always be there for each other, and they've made a huge impact on each other's lives.

When I first heard about this book, I thought about where I was when I heard that Tupac Shakur died, and I thought it'd be an interesting book to read, and I was right.  I think it's interesting how music can bring people together, however unlikely the connection between the people may seem.  It's also nice that people can relate to music and use it as a way to escape their troubles for a little bit or to help them deal with what is going on in their lives.  Upon hearing the title, I thought the story would be about Tupac Shakur, but the title refers to the time when D was in Neeka's and her best friend's lives.  I also thought it was interesting that 'D Foster' refers to one of the main characters, but it's not really her name.  I figure D was short for something, and it turned out that it stood for Desiree.  I also thought 'Foster' was her last name, but she actually just used 'Foster' to refer to herself in foster care.  Her last name was actually Johnson.  That really caught me off guard!

It was interesting to see how the girls reacted to D.  At first it seemed that they weren't going to be friends with her and they just kind of put up with her, but they ended up being almost inseparable.  It was interesting to see how they all kind of complemented each other and sort of kept each other in check but at the same time were there to support each other.  I kind of found it a bit troubling that at the end the girls didn't really know each other as well as they thought they did, but that didn't change the fact that they were still good friends and would be there for each other no matter what.  There was something about each of them that just made their friendship work.  I think they were able to see a little bit of themselves in each other, and they all had something that the others didn't, which is why they complemented each other very nicely.

Jacqueline Woodson won honor for the Newbery Award three times, was twice a National Book Award finalist, and received the Coretta Scott King Award winner and honoree.  After Tupac and D Foster is a Newbery Honor book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults as well as a CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) Choice book.  Visit the author's website at http://www.jacquelionewoodson.com/ to learn about her and to check out titles of other books she's written, which include Locomotion, Feathers, and Miracle's Boys.  You can also find out about Tupac Shakur at http://www.2pac.com/.

Tupac Shakur