The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

By Brenda Woods

A biracial girl seeks her roots, discovering identity and belonging.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 1,696 ratings

240 pages· 39,914 words· Est. 4.5 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Violet, feeling out of place in her predominantly white world, embarks on a journey to connect with her African American heritage. At eleven, she visits her paternal grandmother, Bibi, for two weeks. This encounter opens doors to her lost heritage, challenging her perceptions and boosting her confidence. As Violet learns about her family's history, she begins to understand her own identity, realizing she is not just a 'brown leaf on a pile of snow.' Will this newfound connection help Violet embrace her true self and find her place in the world?

From the publisher

Coretta Scott King Honor winner Brenda Woods’ moving, uplifting story of a girl finally meeting the African American side of her family explores racism and how it feels to be biracial, and celebrates families of all kinds.Violet is biracial, but she lives with her white mother and sister, attends a mostly white school in a white town, and sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. Now that she’s eleven, she feels it’s time to learn about her African American heritage, so she seeks out her paternal grandmother. When Violet is invited to spend two weeks with her new Bibi (Swahili for “grandmother”) and learns about her lost heritage, her confidence in herself grows and she discovers she’s not a shrinking Violet after all. From a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author, this is a powerful story about a young girl finding her place in the world.

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