Thank you to Scribner for an ARC of this book.

This short, illustrated volume will be a great gift for a recent college grad, or for a person who is going through a transition in their life. The text comes from the graduation speech that Ward gave at Tulane University in 2018. She speaks of the danger of judging people before you really understand where they come from, using the story of her own parents and her thinking that they had not strived hard enough to better themselves. It is inspiring to hear her own story of being both a first-generation college student and a black woman in the south, and the way that she has made her way in life with the support of her family. The illustrations are beautiful and artfully reflect the story that is being told.

4 stars