I agree with the Horn Book review of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. This is a review from a section of the publication that reviews new literature that they feel is worthy of writing about. The Horn Book is one of the most popular and well respected magazines focusing on childrens literature.
I enjoyed how this review focused more on the end of the story. It reads more in depth into the last few pages much more than the average reader would. It gives the imagery of death, and the “Wool Pooh” and how to a young persons mind, something so simple as Winnie-the-Pooh’s evil twin brother can be the grim reaper knocking on your door. This book does provide a lot of death imagery at the end with Kenny almost dying from drowning, the thought of Joetta being killed with a bomb in church, and being there while the four little girls were killed in the bombing, death is a very real thing for Kenny at the end of this novel.
The review also mentions something that I also talked about in my review of the novel, and that is Curtis’ ability to move from the somber movements into the humerous sections that make the reader laugh out loud picturing what he is depicting. I defiantly agree, especially for a first time author, this is something that he does seamlessly, and makes the novel more enjoyable to read.
From the way that this review has been written, it seems as if Martha Parravano, the critic enjoyed this story. This review is defiantly a representation of a pre-curser to this novel winning both the Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King awards.
Publication Info: Parravano, Martha. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963." The Horn Book Magazine Mar/April 1996: 195
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis is a novel that takes place in the middle of the Civil Rights movement, in 1963. This is a story about a family from Flint, Michigan who has been having a rough winter. The main character Kenny’s older brother Byron has been getting into trouble. He isn’t listening to his mom, and she is at her wits end with him. Throughout the story we hear about Momma growing up in Alabama, and so when her and Dad decided that there was nothing more they could do, they pack up and take a trip to see Kenny’s grandmother. However, while they are in Alabama, something horrible happens. While at church, someone threw a bomb into the Sunday school classroom, and it ended up killing four little girls. Luckily, Joetta (Kenny’s little sister) was not one of them. However, this changed the family, and their outlooks on life. In Flint, they had not experienced this kind of hatred. This novel shows how one event can change your life.
I really liked this book. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. This is one of the aspects that made it a quality piece of diverse literature for me. Even though there were humerous parts, there were also very serious parts and they intertwined beautifully and made a seamless story. Apparently the critics thought so as well because it won a Newbery honor award and the Coretta Scott King award. I think this is a quality piece of diverse literature because it highlights a true event that I had never heard of before. The climax of the story is when a bomb is thrown into a Sunday school classroom and kills four innocent children. Usually when we think of the Civil Rights movement we think of Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, or the Dr. Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream” speech. It’s little events like this church bombing that affected more people than we know, and it has historically been dropped from teaching, if it ever was taught. I liked that Curtis included an Epilogue that gave a little history on the time period in Birmingham so that children that read this have a context for the story. The epilogue ends “And one of them could be you” talking about people who will change the world. I think that it ends the novel on an optimistic note.
One thing that the book does however is stereotype the “typical black thug”. Kenny’s brother Byron was always getting into trouble, whether it be at school, or out of school, it always seems as if Byron is getting into a scuffle. However, on the other spectrum of that, Kenny’s character is a positive role model for young students. He is ahead in his class in academics, is a great reader and is enthusiastic about school. I thought that this was a good counter balance for the characters in the books. This way Curtis is representing a few different character types into the story. The balance of these characters enhances it’s appeal and the audience that it reaches.
Book Info: Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. Scholastic Inc, 1995.
ISBN: 0-590-69014-0
I really liked this book. I found myself laughing out loud while reading it. This is one of the aspects that made it a quality piece of diverse literature for me. Even though there were humerous parts, there were also very serious parts and they intertwined beautifully and made a seamless story. Apparently the critics thought so as well because it won a Newbery honor award and the Coretta Scott King award. I think this is a quality piece of diverse literature because it highlights a true event that I had never heard of before. The climax of the story is when a bomb is thrown into a Sunday school classroom and kills four innocent children. Usually when we think of the Civil Rights movement we think of Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, or the Dr. Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream” speech. It’s little events like this church bombing that affected more people than we know, and it has historically been dropped from teaching, if it ever was taught. I liked that Curtis included an Epilogue that gave a little history on the time period in Birmingham so that children that read this have a context for the story. The epilogue ends “And one of them could be you” talking about people who will change the world. I think that it ends the novel on an optimistic note.
One thing that the book does however is stereotype the “typical black thug”. Kenny’s brother Byron was always getting into trouble, whether it be at school, or out of school, it always seems as if Byron is getting into a scuffle. However, on the other spectrum of that, Kenny’s character is a positive role model for young students. He is ahead in his class in academics, is a great reader and is enthusiastic about school. I thought that this was a good counter balance for the characters in the books. This way Curtis is representing a few different character types into the story. The balance of these characters enhances it’s appeal and the audience that it reaches.
Book Info: Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. Scholastic Inc, 1995.
ISBN: 0-590-69014-0
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, is a story about Cassie Logan and her family. Living in the south during the Great Depression was not a good time for African Americans. It was hard to find work, which is apparent in this story by her father having to leave and work on the railroad in Louisiana; and it was lucky if you had work at all. A large portion of the African American families in this story are sharecroppers, so they work the land for someone who literally owns them. They are still slaves in a sense, since they never see a penny of the money that they earn. This story takes place over a school year where Cassie and her brothers, Stacey, Christopher John and Little Man grow up a lot emotionally. They have to deal with the bus splashing them every day on the way to school, and the realization that the white bus drivers and children (except for Jeremy) do not care about them at all. They also have to deal with their mother getting fired from her job since she teaches accurate portrayals of history, of which the school board does not approve. I think that the biggest event in the story however is then T.J. robs the store over in Strawberry and as readers we get to see the brutal mentality of the “white man” towards the “black man” over nothing. These children have to grow up quickly to protect themselves from the times around them, and the year that we view in this story shows an immense amount of growing up.
This novel in my opinion is a great piece of literature. This is a story that has been passed down by Taylor’s own family, and she felt the need to share it with others. The novel is set in the 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression in rural Mississippi. In this novel, the focus to me seemed to be the unfair treatment of African Americans by some of the white population in their town and surrounding areas. I think that this aspect of the story made it a true quality piece of literature. Cassie, the main character was naïve in a variety of ways to the world outside her house, especially when it came to dealing with children her own age, and not realizing why a white girl was considered better than her. I liked how Taylor included the white population, such as Mr. Jamison and his family in the book. This shows the perspective that not everyone thought that African Americans should be oppressed, and that they should be treated fairly. So in this way I think that the novel has been quite authentic, and culturally accurate because it encompassed all perspectives. This novel has won both the Newbery Award for excellence in children’s literature, and the Coretta Scott King award for excellence in African American literature by an insider author.
Book Information: Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Scholastic Inc, 1976.
ISBN:0-590-98207-9
This novel in my opinion is a great piece of literature. This is a story that has been passed down by Taylor’s own family, and she felt the need to share it with others. The novel is set in the 1930’s in the midst of the Great Depression in rural Mississippi. In this novel, the focus to me seemed to be the unfair treatment of African Americans by some of the white population in their town and surrounding areas. I think that this aspect of the story made it a true quality piece of literature. Cassie, the main character was naïve in a variety of ways to the world outside her house, especially when it came to dealing with children her own age, and not realizing why a white girl was considered better than her. I liked how Taylor included the white population, such as Mr. Jamison and his family in the book. This shows the perspective that not everyone thought that African Americans should be oppressed, and that they should be treated fairly. So in this way I think that the novel has been quite authentic, and culturally accurate because it encompassed all perspectives. This novel has won both the Newbery Award for excellence in children’s literature, and the Coretta Scott King award for excellence in African American literature by an insider author.
Book Information: Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Scholastic Inc, 1976.
ISBN:0-590-98207-9
Miracle's Boys
Miracle’s Boys by Jaqueline Woodson is a true story of brotherhood. This is a novel about three brothers Ty’ree, Charlie, and Lafayette who have lost both their mother (who died in her sleep from insulin shock as a result of diabetes) and their father when they were much younger when he was attempting to save a woman who fell through thin ice. We find out later in the book that Ty’ree was there to witness his fathers death, and the youngest brother Lafayette was the one who found his mother dead in bed. After Ty’ree admits this to Lafayette that he saw his father die, they became a lot closer. These two were also a lot closer because Charlie was not at home. He was sent away to a juvenile delinquent center. Charlie is the stereotyped “thug” of sorts, and was beat up by a gang, and his trouble on the streets sent him away. There is conflict between the brothers as well since Charlie blames Lafayette for not catching his mother before she died. This book overall is a coming of age story of three brothers who have to learn to live without their mother, and learn how to take care of themselves as well as one another.
I enjoyed this story, but did not love it. It took me a while to get into it, and I was not able to relate to it. However, this novel has gotten critical acclaim, won the Coretta Scott King award, and was even turned into a T.V. movie. This novel defiantly qualifies as a piece of diverse literature. The boys mother is Puerto Rican while their father is African American. Therefore the brothers come from two different backgrounds. However, there is not much discussion in the novel about how this affects them. We do occasionally see other people’s reactions to them when they go out, but other than that, the focus of the book is their lives, their history according to them. Even though Woodson portrayed a negative stereotype in the story (Charlie), she also made Ty’ree a positive role model. Ty’ree was extremely smart and would have gone to college, but had to stay home, get a job, and take care of his family when his mother died. His dream is to work for NASA, and plans on continuing those dreams ones Lafayette grows up. However, the character Charlie is a stereotypical troublesome African American teen. He gets in trouble by joining a gang, because he feels that it is his family. We hear so many times that this is why young adolescents get involved with gangs, so that they can feel as if they belong. This is why he gets sent to a juvenile delinquent center. However, when he gets out, he has changed a bit, and tries to be a positive member of his family. I think it’s important that she included both in the story, so that she is more representative of a group than just one stereotype.
Book Information: Woodson, Jaqueline . Miracle's Boys. Puffin Books, 2000.
ISBN: 0-698-11916-9
I enjoyed this story, but did not love it. It took me a while to get into it, and I was not able to relate to it. However, this novel has gotten critical acclaim, won the Coretta Scott King award, and was even turned into a T.V. movie. This novel defiantly qualifies as a piece of diverse literature. The boys mother is Puerto Rican while their father is African American. Therefore the brothers come from two different backgrounds. However, there is not much discussion in the novel about how this affects them. We do occasionally see other people’s reactions to them when they go out, but other than that, the focus of the book is their lives, their history according to them. Even though Woodson portrayed a negative stereotype in the story (Charlie), she also made Ty’ree a positive role model. Ty’ree was extremely smart and would have gone to college, but had to stay home, get a job, and take care of his family when his mother died. His dream is to work for NASA, and plans on continuing those dreams ones Lafayette grows up. However, the character Charlie is a stereotypical troublesome African American teen. He gets in trouble by joining a gang, because he feels that it is his family. We hear so many times that this is why young adolescents get involved with gangs, so that they can feel as if they belong. This is why he gets sent to a juvenile delinquent center. However, when he gets out, he has changed a bit, and tries to be a positive member of his family. I think it’s important that she included both in the story, so that she is more representative of a group than just one stereotype.
Book Information: Woodson, Jaqueline . Miracle's Boys. Puffin Books, 2000.
ISBN: 0-698-11916-9
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Boy Meets Boy
I just finished reading the novel Boy Meets Boy. It is an interesting story in where may of the characters within the high school and town are gay, or transvestites, and it is considered completely normal. Outside of the town however, it's not so perfect. This story, and the Utopian has made me think about whether or not this situation is possible in our lifetimes? Sure there are communities that are gay accepting (think of cities like San Francisco) but there are always those people who are closed minded, and will not accept homosexual lifestyles no matter what. Even Tony's parents were more progressive than some people that we find in our society today.
Another interesting thing that I thought about after I finished reading the novel was that this story is overall just a love story. All of the aspects of a teenage love affair were there. In my mind this should just go to show to everyone who is against gay relationships that they are just like their relationship that they have with their significant other. They should be able to see that if you were to substitute one of the two main characters in the book into a female, that it would be like any other. I think that this novel would be a great book to open people with closed minds. It would make them see that we are all the same, no matter what sexual preference we have
Another interesting thing that I thought about after I finished reading the novel was that this story is overall just a love story. All of the aspects of a teenage love affair were there. In my mind this should just go to show to everyone who is against gay relationships that they are just like their relationship that they have with their significant other. They should be able to see that if you were to substitute one of the two main characters in the book into a female, that it would be like any other. I think that this novel would be a great book to open people with closed minds. It would make them see that we are all the same, no matter what sexual preference we have
Monday, April 7, 2008
Confessions of a Closet Catholic
I felt extremely close to Jussy's character in the book Confessions of a Catholic. In high school I dated a boy who was half Catholic and half Jewsih. Growing up a methodist my entire life, I had only been exposed to the Christian religion. Even though my boyfriend's family did not practice either religions, except for the holidays, I always had a fun time when the did celebrate the Jewish holidays. There is so much tradition that I was able to see with the Seder before passover. The stories told, the food that represents different aspects, and the family feel that is associated with it. I had never felt that sense of family and tradition for a religious holiday before. I had often thought that if we ended up tsaying together, that I would want our children to be raised with awareness of their Jewish heritage. So, in that way, I related to Justine's character because I had questions and was intruiged by a religion that I was not brought up in. The other way, was that I in the past week I lost my grandmother. She had fallen, become weak, and a month later passed away. The times in the book when Jussy's mother came over to Mac's house to tell her the news, or show up at school, those were very real times for me. In the end, I didn't have a revelation, and start going back to Sunday services, but I have to say that there is a spiritual connection there that there wasn't before. I think that if someone is going through a death, even though it is hard to read at the time, you will be able to become closer to Jussy's character, and really understand where Littman is coming from when she writes this novel.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Project Mulberry Thoughts
We recently read the book Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park and I really enjoyed this book. There were many different aspects that were looked at, and I was waiting to see whether or not the person in our group writing their paper this week focused on the aspect of race in the book, and they didn't. There is an interesting aspect that I found in the book that dealt with racism from a minorities standpoint. In my opinion, when we think about racism, it is usually a white person who has a prejudice towards another person of race, religion, etc... However, we see racism in this case coming from Julia's mother. Her obvious uncomfortable state around Mr. Dixon who is allowing the children to use the leaves off of his mulberry tree. Julia can't believe this about her mother, but it is explained to us that as a child, in Korea, during the Korean war young children were witnesses of black soldiers, and so their only experiences with people of this race were negative. Especially since Julia's family lives in a very caucasian town, her mother is not used to a race differentiation. Julia tries to figure out how to explain to her mother that he is a nice man and that he is just helping them out, but her mother still does not trust him. A few chapters later, he is trying to be nice and send home peppers with Julia. He also calls her Chinese. I know that this is a stereotype that often occurs with Asian people, that they all get lumped together even though their cultures, traditions and religions are all quite different. Julia's character struggles through this throughout the novel, and in the end still can't decide how she feels about her mother's views. I thought it was good how Park had Julia's character struggle with these questions. I think that it is representative of children's views and questions about their parents views if they are growing up in a prejudiced household. I also like that Park did not answer the question at the end. Not only does it leave the reader questioning the text at the end of the novel, but it also leaves the reader questioning themselves.
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