If You Come Softly is a young-adult novel by American author Jacqueline Woodson. It was initially published in 1998 and later in 2006 by Speak Publishers. Set in New York, Elisha and Jeremiah are both students attending Percy Academy. The school is a private institution with a lot of students from wealthy backgrounds. Elisha, a Jewish girl and Jeremiah, an African-American, are faced with tough societal expectations that tries to keep them apart.
The pair find comfort and affection in each other and quickly fall deeply in love. They are however unable to share their new-found love with their friends and family for fear of being judged. In the end, they'll have to make tough choices, or it will be made for them. If You Come Softly explores how love and happiness are fleeting and can be decimated with external forces. Cultural, religious, and racial aspects come into play in a way that ruins relationships.
This novel won the 2002 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for High School and the 2006 Margaret A. Edwards Award. It was also nominated for the 2001 Rhode Island Teen Book Award and the 2001 California Young Reader's Medal for Young Adult.
