This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson

This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Genre: Childrens, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

During the time of the Great Migration, millions of African American families relocated from the South, seeking better opportunities. The story of one family’s journey north during the Great Migration starts with a little girl in South Carolina who finds a rope under a tree one summer. She has no idea the rope will become part of her family’s history. But for three generations, that rope is passed down, used for everything from jump rope games to tying suitcases onto a car for the big move north to New York City, and even for a family reunion where that first little girl is now a grandmother.

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I adored the repetition in this story. The fact that the narrator began each new page with a reference to the rope that had been in her family for generations tied all of the anecdotes about it together nicely. On their own, each glimpse of what this object was used for was a brief peek at the daily lives of ordinary people over many decades. By showing how their relationship with what should have been a common household object changed over time and from one generation to the next, I was able to get a strong impression of what this family was like and why they found so much meaning in something that most folks probably wouldn’t think twice about at all.

There was one small part of the plot that I wish had been explained a little more clearly. I was surprised by how well the rope held up over the years given all of the creative ways the family came up with to use it from one generation to the next. It sure seemed like it should have worn out before the third generation had a chance to inherit it. With that being said, this is a very minor criticism of a story that I really loved overall. My passing questions about how long the rope realistically should have lasted would in no way prevent me from recommending it to everyone.

One of the most interesting parts of the plot to me was the fact that only one of the characters ever shared their name with the audience. Everyone else was discussed as a parent, grandparent, or other relative of the main character. Even though I didn’t know their actual first names, I still felt like I got to know every member of this family well because of how much attention was paid to showing off their personalities earlier on in the storyline.

This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration was a heartwarming tale that every family should read.