Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Piecing Me Together, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination
The Power of Language
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Jade lists the reasons she knows Sam is her friend: they ride the bus together, Mr. Flores has forbidden them from partnering with each other in Spanish class, they laugh, they don’t hide their tears, and they listen when they misunderstand each other. Mom comes home and she smiles hugely when she sees Jade at the table with Sam and Lee Lee. Fortunately, she goes into her room without embarrassing Jade. The girls continue planning the benefit. E.J. has agreed to deejay, while Maxine and Mia are working on promoting the event. Josiah has even agreed to set up a livestream. Sam suggests they come up with something for audience members to do, and Jade has the idea of printing out poems for people to read if they want. Lee Lee pulls out a folder of sample poems from Mrs. Baker. Sam reads through them and chooses one she’d like to read.
Thanks to the lessons Jade has learned about speaking up and about mentorship, the event for Natasha Ramsey is coming together. Since Jade is now acutely aware of the fact that everyone has something to give—and that giving back helps people feel a sense of purpose and dignity—she chooses to draw on all sorts of people from her community. She’s also learning that if she asks for help, people will be more than willing to provide it. This again gives Jade the experience of asking and experiencing success, which will make it easier to recover when she inevitably doesn’t get what she asks for.
Themes
