Skin & Bones by Renée Watson (Author Spotlight)

Today I’m featuring author Renée Watson who is mostly known for her impactful books for children and teens, but her latest release Skin and Bones is an adult novel that tackles themes of self-care, acknowledging and uplifting community while showcasing the path to healing by a Black woman in her 40’s. That’s all I needed to read to know that I needed to have this book for myself. I’m all in for stories that reflect women who are in the phase of life that allows them to settle into who they are and find power in being happy and thankful for all the parts that make them strong and unique. With these themes in the hands of a writer like Renée Watson, I know that I am in for an amazingly told story.

Skin & Bones Synopsis:

At 40, Lena Baker is at a 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 trying to teach her daughter self-love while struggling to do so herself. Lena questions everything she’s learned about dating, friendship, and motherhood, and through it all, she works tirelessly to bring the oft-forgotten Black history of Oregon to the masses, sidestepping her well-meaning co-workers that don’t understand that their good intentions are often offensive and hurtful. Through Watson’s poetic voice, skin & bones is a stirring exploration of who society makes space for and is ultimately a story of heartbreak and healing.