What do you think now that you've gone and done it?
Does it make you look any better? Is this straight"
-- Momma flicked some more of Byron's hair back up porcupine-style --
"is this straight mess more attractive than your own hair?
Did those chemicals give you better-looking hair than me and your daddy and God gave you?
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| My silly daddy and I, giggling just like Kenny & his dad |
This was one of my favorite lines in this book. So powerful and encouraging of Momma to tell her children that they should be happy and content with themselves, just as they are. The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 was completely different than I thought it would be. It made me feel as if I was a member of the Watson family. I hurt when Kenny hurt. I laughed when Byron did stupid things. I got annoyed when Joetta tattled on everything and everyone. I felt like Dad was a literary representation of my own father, who, when he doesn't have enough sleep turns into the giggly and silly man that Kenny's dad became at the end of the book on their family road trip to Alabama.
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| The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 |
This book had so many ups and downs and had two extremely dynamic characters in Kenny and Byron. The reader watches their relationship go from hatred and brotherly competition while they are in Flint to compassion and understanding when they are in Birmingham, and particularly when they head back to Flint near the end of the book. The most emotional portion of the book for me, and I assume, for other readers was the last third of the book that took place in Birmingham. The historical context for this book was extremely important, because without that context, we wouldn't be able to know the importance and gravity of the events that happen at the end of the book. The church bombing wouldn't be as painstakingly horrific (although it would still be horrific). We wouldn't feel as compassionate towards Kenny and his struggles when he moves in to the Watson Animal Hospital. We wouldn't be so touched by Byron's transformation and stepping up to the true role of a good big brother.
In a "Kid's Book Club Pick" article on NPR, they say -
"Teachers, librarians, and parents immediately embraced the book in part because Curtis so thoroughly captured the voice of a smarty-pants, pre-teen boy. But the book also found a passionate following because it provides a way for adults to guide children through difficult terrain, such as the violence of the Civil Rights Era and the racial hatred that claimed the lives of four little girls who died in the bombing." (Read the review here.)
I don't know if I necessarily expected the light-hearted beginning of the book to take such an emotional turn, but I enjoyed it regardless. And I completely agree with NPR in the fact that it takes some of the hard work out of figuring out a way as teachers to be comfortable with discussing the hard issues, like the Birmingham Church Bombing. Using this book as a scaffold to build up and talk about the gradual successes of the Civil Rights Movement and the difficult events that occurred, in my opinion, can help children have a person to identify with, even if Kenny is fictional.
And that is the power of historical fiction, just like Richard Peck discussed in his 2006 National Book Festival speech. What a wonderful power it is.
First, I love the picture of you and your dad!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like how you pointed out the power of historical fiction. The quotes you provided show this and I agree with the reviews. This is an amazing book and could really help when teaching about the difficult and horrific events that have happened in history. Finally, The Wool Pooh being Winnie the Pooh’s evil twin brother! Seriously, I could not stop laughing! The author again, took such a serious and emotional situation (Kenny almost drowning) and I couldn’t stop laughing about the Wool Pooh holding his leg! I just kept picturing Winnie the Pooh as a ghost.
I definitely had the same reaction about The Wool Pooh! I gotta admit, it really creeped me out when Curtis made the connection between the Whirlpool Wool Pooh and the Church Wool Pooh. Definitely added a supernatural vibe to the whole situation
DeleteI think it was very cool you found the NPR article and it was interesting to hear from 'The Kids Book Club Pick', because I really got that sense from Kenny when I was reading it as well. HIs voice makes such a tough topic so light and young, yet his realizations at the end are so deep and meaningful! I also largely agree with your point that the storyline is very up and down, it takes you on an emotional roller-coaster and I HAD NO IDEA that the ending conclusions and points Kenny made were coming. Like you said Kylee it started to light and funny I think that gives us the opportunity to really feel the difference and importance of the words.
ReplyDeleteI think Curtis did a great job creating characters in this book that readers can relate to. Each character had their own quirks which were fun to read about. Curtis created a family that makes readers feel like they are a part of and I agree that that really makes the book more meaningful because you can see how these children dealt with this difficult situation. Historical fiction is such a great tool to use with children when learning about horrific events.
ReplyDeleteIt was frustrating to me that the book started out so light at the beginning because I was really interested in reading about the historical part of it. But now I understand what you're saying, Denise, that since Curtis did that, he could show the contrast and how significant this was in history.
I really liked your section about the connection between the reader and the characters, particularly your reference to Byron and his rise to true Big Brotherhood. Even though I read this book multiple times when I was little, I still didn't remember anything about the Watson Animal Hospital- and I think it's because I wasn't old enough to understand the context and empathize with the characters properly. Re-reading this book for class was a whole different experience than any of my prior readings
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