Discussion: Skin & Bones by Renée Watson

Hey y’all! Excited to share our next read is Skin & Bones by Renée Watson. Reviews describe Watson’s debut novel as a humorous, tender, and unflinching foray into motherhood, sisterhood, white supremacy, anti-fat bias, and aging. Centered in Portland, Oregon — a city that is white by design — Watson weaves bits of local Black history throughout the book, reflecting on how Black folks make a home in a place that isn’t made for them.

Given the overlapping theme of Black homemaking in this book and the OMCA Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain exhibit, some of us plan on visiting the exhibit right after the meeting. Hope you’ll join if you can.

Location details will be sent to RSVPs so make sure you let us know you’re coming. See y’all soon!

Book Description:

At 40, Lena Baker is at a seemingly steady and stable moment in life--between wine nights with her two best friends and her wedding just weeks away, she's happy in love and in friendship until a confession on her wedding day shifts her world.

Unmoored and grieving a major loss, Lena finds herself at odds with her friend, lost in the sea of online dating, and trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping the well-meaning but ignorant voices that don't see the value or audience of these stories.

Through Watson's poetic voice, skin & bones tells a story of heartbreak, healing, and who society makes space for.

Getting the Book:
If you'd like to shop local and Black-owned there’s the beloved Marcus Books. You can give them a call to reserve a copy and visit them at:

Marcus Books
1 (510) 652-2344
3900 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, CA 94609

This book is also available at the Oakland Public Library and the San Francisco Public Library, both in its physical and e-copy form, and as an audiobook.

Alternatively you can support Independent Bookstores via [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/p/books/skin-bones-renee-watson/20612443)

Wanna suggest a book for our reading list? Fill out this Book Recommendation Form.