Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. NY: Delacorte.
The Watsons go to Birmingham is set in 1963 during the turbulent civil rights era and is a fictitious story surrounded by historical events. The book centers around a loving African American family, the Watsons, and is narrated by Kenny, the Watsons' middle son. They live in Flint, Michigan and the books starts with them trying to stay warm during an extra icy winter. Kenny is a book worm and is self conscious about his lazy eye. His little sister Joey is the sweetheart of the family, while his older brother Byron is known, half jokingly, as a juvenile delinquent. Byron's constant disobedience leads Momma to make the tough decision to take the family to Birmingham, where Grandma Sands lives, and leave Bryon there for the summer, and possible longer, in order to get him to straighten out. While in Birmingham, the family is at the center of one of our nation's greatest tragedies, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The family fears that little Joey was in the church during the bombing and Kenny goes in the church to look for her. He sees a sock that resembles hers and runs to his grandmother's home in a panic. Once he gets there, he discovers Joey was home and safe. They family drives home to Flint immediately in order to shield Joey from learning about the events that took place at the church and brings Bryon home with them as well. Kenny is really shaken by the events that occurred and is almost in a daze from it. He routinely hides behind the couch to avoid contact with anyone and is very melancholy. Bryon sees the pain that Kenny is in and tries to help him talk about what happened. Kenny lets all his emotions pour out and with the support of his brother, realizes that the world is far from perfect but we must "keep on stepping". The Watsons Go to Birmingham won the Newbery Honor award and the Coretta Scott King Honor award.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the family dynamic and the pure love you felt they all had for one another. The book is lighthearted and funny until you get to the last section of the book. This replicates real life, however, because the most tragic events catch you completely off guard. It was heartbreaking to read that section of the book, knowing it was based on true events. Kenny's reaction following the bombing was gut wrenching to read as well. Bryon's comforting words gave Kenny, and the reader, hope that things will get better. This book gave great insights into the civil rights era and how the average African American family felt during those times. This book can be incorporated nicely into any middle school History or English class.
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