They call themselves the "Weirdo Watsons" and there is a lot of talk about papa and his "brown bomber" that he loves to drive and will not get rid of. Mama is from Birmingham, Alabama and misses it a lot. She hates the Michigan weather and often reverts back to her southern drawl by saying things like "hea uh" for "here," which the children think is hilarious. Finally, momma and poppa decide that Byron needs to get away from his friends in Flint, so they decide to take a family trip to Birmingham to visit momma's family. The intent is to leave Byron there for the summer, but after a few days of visiting, a tragedy occurs. One Sunday morning, Joey decided to go to the local Baptist church with her friend, and while she was there, it was bombed and four young girls were killed. At first the reader is unsure whether Joey is one of these girls, and Kenny is convinced she is, but later you find that she had decided to come back to grandma's house early. The next day, the Watsons decide to go back to Michigan, but Kenny suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome and takes to hiding, sleeping and eating behind the coach. At first no one knows where he is until Byron figures it out. Although Byron usually acts like he doesn't care about anything or anyone, he does stay with Kenny all day, everyday until he finally convinces Kenny to come out. Finally Kenny is able to release his emotions and the story ends more positively.
I do appreciate the author taking the time to write an epilogue going into more detail about the struggle for basic human rights and the civil rights movement, during this time period. He elaborates on actions taken, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and others who contributed to the movement, as well as those that died. This book has so much hidden, underlying meaning and it is a page turner. It is very easy to relate to the trials and tribulations the Watsons go through as a family. I really enjoyed this book.
Christopher Curtis is the author of Bud, Not Buddy which also takes place in Flint, Michigan in 1936
I have always enjoyed historical fiction books that present an event through the perspective of a child. It seems that The Watsons Go to Birmingham is told through a character that children can relate to whether it be that they are a middle child as well, that they don't want to go visit relatives, or making fun of their mothers accent. I find the best books are the books children can make connections with outside of the historical context.
ReplyDeleteThis does seem like a very interesting book. How much of the historical nuance are the students going to be able pick up on? What grade level would you use this for?
ReplyDeleteWhoa, this book sounds really interesting. From the sounds of it I think it would make an excellent movie. It would be an excellent production for the students to make a movie out of this book.
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