Point of View

"I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This" by Jacqueline Woodson is written in the first person narrative from the point of view of the protagonist, Marie, a twelve-year-old black girl. The reader learns of the pain and misery that the young girl faces when her mother leaves her and her father. After her mother's departure, her father is an emotional basket-case and Marie has to tread softly to keep him from being more upset.

Marie's mother, Diane, sends her daughter postcards from many exotic locales around the world. Since she is an African American, she can speak to the prejudices and conflicts that exist between the races in that community. The reader learns of Marie's frustration in not having a mother and not being able to reply to her postcards which do not have return addresses. But Marie is innovative. She vents her frustration in not...