Woodson, J. (2014). Brown Girl Dreaming. New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA).
This poetic story is about a young girl who journals about being raised between South Carolina and New York. She writes in long stanzas, free verse, and occasionally short stories about her family and how her father left her mother and siblings behind. This story takes place during the 1960's-1970's which is a very difficult time for African American's in the United States because they had to face racism in the south when they visited her South Carolina relatives. Her one escape from the harsh racist world filled with inequality was her writing and retelling events of her life through her words. Eventually, the world was slow to change and many African American's received their equal rights, but it took time for people to change their views and beliefs.
This is story astounded me because of they she wrote just show how much passion and hope she has. I know the U.S. has a bad history when it comes to racial issues, and being of mixed race I always felt like I'm in between to different worlds. I believe this would be a great book to use in the classroom to teach students about equal rights, Jim Crow laws, and the many things that hinder the African American community from succeeding in the past. Though, I will admit it may make you cry or get emotional so have some Kleenex available.
No comments:
Post a Comment