He Said, She Said

 

Alexander, K. (2013). He said, she said. NY: Amistad

He Said, She Said by Kwame Alexander takes us into the lives of Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls and Claudia Clarke. Omar is the star quarterback for West Charleston High and is the school's main player (on and off the field). Claudia is a straight-A, Harvard bound, "goody-two-shoes" and the school newspaper editor. Ond day they meet at a party and even though Omar has a girlfriend he decides to talk to Claudia. Claudia sees right through Omar's act but does not care because her focus is on Harvard, feeding the poor, warning the girls about teen pregnancy, and running the school paper. Omar makes a bet with his buddies that he can get Claudia to have sex with him by the end of the month. 

Because of school funding, the school board is threatening to take away the arts programs and lay-off and teachers. Omar sees this as a way to impress Claudia and decides to start a social protest at the school. Although Omar's intention for the protest was to help him get closer to Claudia other than supporting a cause, the two end up leading a large social protest with the help of their friends, classmates, Facebook, and Twitter. As they work together making plans, they both realize that there might be more between them than just trying to help the school. 

He Said, She Said is written from the multiple characters' points of view and shows the many layers of each. The characters are relatable and the storyline that includes the use of social media is one that students today can relate to. Insight from some of the older characters in the story also brings in history about protests and music from the past. This was an enjoyable read and shows how first impressions can be totally deceiving.