If You Come Softly

by Jacqueline Woodson

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If You Come Softly

Jeremiah's parents are separated, which he resents as it forces him to choose between them. He misses their togetherness and feels confused about love due to their split. Despite this, he loves his...

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If You Come Softly

Jeremiah, or Miah as his friend call him, is a black teenager who struggles with his identity. He remembers visiting his grandmother in Georgia and being told to stay in the shade so he wouldn’t get...

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If You Come Softly

Ellie is depicted as a white, Jewish teenager in "If You Come Softly," which is significant for her interracial relationship with Jeremiah. She is considered beautiful from Jeremiah's perspective....

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If You Come Softly

In If You Come Softly, chapter 17 addresses multiple themes about race. Miah's dad’s thoughts link to ideas that Whiteness is a "default identity" and represents the "absence of race." As his dad...

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If You Come Softly

Jeremiah switched history classes because the school mistakenly placed him in a remedial class despite his strong understanding of history. He suspects this wasn't a coincidence, attributing it to...

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