August is brought back to Brooklyn for her father’s funeral and so the story begins:
“I know now that what is tragic isn’t the moment. It is the memory.”

At the ages of 8 and 4 years old respectively, August and her brother were moved from SweetGrove, Tennessee to Brooklyn in the 1970’s. With their mother left behind, August is constantly proclaiming to her younger brother, “She’s coming tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.” The two children were left looking through the painted shut windows to the streets below. Their father, worried for their safety was diligent in keeping them safe. After the brother shattered the window, their father started to allow them to go out. Slowly, they became part of the Brooklyn streets experiencing all that it had to offer. August’s memories from her childhood weave together to tell the stories of families, love, loss and especially friendships. Sylvia, Angela, Gigi, and August spent many years growing up together. They shared both good and bad memories and an occasional boyfriend. All four girls had big dreams for their futures. They whispered secrets and let out the stories that burned deep inside of them. This is a beautiful story of the transition from girls to young women, of hardships and mistakes, and of consequences and loss. Woodson’s writing is both lyrical and tender.