Harbor Me is a novel written by Jacqueline Woodson. It is a collection of stories of fears, experiences of previous life, and the lessons learned by five friends from Brooklyn school. Ameri, Esteban, Tiago, Ashton, Holly, and Haley Shondell McGrath are students of Brooklyn School. One day their teacher, Ms. Laverne, introduces them to a room. The room plays a significant role in their life. They named the place ARTT (A Room To Talk). They can share their personal life experiences for the last hour of the school day each Friday in the room without any supervision or interference.
Esteban shares that he and his family are natives of the Dominican Republic and don't have US citizenship. So, his father has been arrested by immigration officials and placed in a detention center in Florida. He is worried about the safety of his father and his family. Haley McGrath also experiences the same feelings because his father has also been arrested by authorities. He is convicted of vehicular homicide. She lives with his uncle in her family home. She used to record her thoughts and took the recorder to the ARTT room.
Ameri, a black boy, expresses his fear and frustration related to racism in the USA. He was warned to play with a toy gun by his father. But, many other white boys are permitted to do the same without any fear. Ashton, a white boy, also has his fear because he is bullied after school. Besides this, Ameri and Ashton are good friends and support each other. Tiago has his story of discrimination at different times in life. His family migrated from Puerto Rico. He prefers to talk in Spanish and struggles to switch between English and Spanish. Due to this, he has been instructed to go back to his country, though he is an American citizen.
In the end, the ARTT meetings proved the best memories of their bond of friendship. They shared personal experiences of life, gave space to each other, and finally, became the collective support system of each other. Esteban and his family have been deported to their native country. Haley's father has been released from prison and has come home to live with her.
