Curtis, C. P. (1995). The
Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. NY: Delacorte. The Watsons are an African
American family that live in Michigan and have three children: Byron, Kenny,
and Joetta or Joey. They were having behavior problems with Byron, their sixth grader.
They decide to visit Grandma Sans in Alabama hoping she would help them
straighten up Byron. Kenny and Byron underestimate Grandma Sans but soon learn
she is tough, very tough. Things begin to change. Byron’s behavior starts to
improve, but Kenny is the one causing trouble now. He refuses to follow
instructions and almost drowns. Luckily, and believe it or not, Byron saves his
life. Another tragic accident occurs in a church nearby; a bomb exploded and caused
great damage. Kenny rushed to the scene and saw a shoe he believed belonged to
Joey trapped under concrete. As he pulled, he felt like Wool Pooh, a scary made
up character, was pulling on the shoe. Therefore, Kenny felt fear and ran back
home. The family believed Joey had been a victim, but she was not there when it
occurred. Not “saving” Joey and not understanding how Whites could have attacked
the church took a toll on him and went into some sort of depression. Byron, tries
to console him and teaches him that magic exists in your family’s love for you
and not behind the couch where Kenny would go to seek magic for healing of his
heart. One of the themes that is very difficult to discuss during these times
of protests is racial discrimination and violence. Unfortunately, this book
takes place during a time where Alabama is still under the curse of segregation
and racial discrimination. We see how all this impacts Kenny since he is the
narrator. Even though this is a fictional story, it does incorporate historical
events such as the bombing of the church and the influence of the Civil Rights
movement.
No comments:
Post a Comment