The book I was reading is called ”The Skin I’m In” by Sharon G. Flake it takes place mainly at McClinton middle school, she is a 7th grader there. Maleeka is always gets bullied by this girl named char, john-john, and some other people. Maleeka gets bullied for her good grades, her home made clothes, and her brown skin. One main lesson I learned for ”the skin I’m in” is don’t judge someone by their appearance.
The author the details at the begging of the story when Maleeka said what people said about how she had good grades, her home made clothes, and her dark brown. There is a boy named john-john that made a song about her ”Maleeka, maleeka-baboom, boom, boom, we sure wanna keep her, baboom, boom, boom, but she so black, baboom , boom, boom, we can’t see her .” the author makes people feel like they were seeing what was happening to Maleeka. Maleeka says when her dad died her mom took it out to sow clothes for Maleeka. When Maleeka gets mad fun she always remembered what her dad said to her when she always got bullied ”see yourself in your own eyes, don’t let someone do it for you ”. Char made Maleeka’s grades slip because Maleeka did her homework for some expensive clothes so she didn’t have to ware her home made clothes that her mom makes her.
In the middle of the book Maleeka is harassed by two boys or more boys on her way going to her home. The two boys where trying to rape her by almost pulling down her pants . After the attack Maleeka has sweets keeping to herself and stops eating. She still is hanging out with char and never told her mom what happened to her that day.. Maleeka is sort of acting like it’s her fault about her being harassed by the two or more boys.
At the end of the book Maleeka stands up to char and char says she has no value. Maleeka was getting tired of char being controlled and bullied by her and some others. Maleeka said in the book that ”not even the expensive pant suits she brought Maleeka can’t make up the stuff she did to her”. Char is trying to make Maleeka take the blame for something char did. One thing that set off char is when Maleeka says ”call me by name! I am not ugly. I am not stupid. I am Maleeka Madison, and, yeah, I’m black, real black, and if you don’t like me, too bad’ cause black is the skin I’m in!” I yelled. ” no matter what you think, Charlese Jones, you’re ten times worse. ”I would never force someone to burn a classroom down, or pick on weaker than me, or say words so mean they make people bleed inside.” ”I’m rocking and crying and rocking . ” you the one who pushed me to mess miss Saunder’s room, and you were in it too-you and the twins”. I say relived. Char wasn’t very happy about that and miss Saunders gave Maleeka a hug that made Maleeka fell her safe.
some people say that you should you can’t rely on people. Maleeka find someone who she can rely on .” Rely is a lot like the word depends. If you rely on someone for help, you also depend on her or him. But rely is even more powerful!! When you rely on someone, you have total faith and trust that he or she will come through.” that’s how Maleeka fells too.