Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. NY: Nancy Paulsen
Books.
This novel written in free verse, shares
Jacqueline Woodson's story of growing up as an African-American child in the
years following the height of the civil rights movement. Years after Rosa
Park's arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, and Ruby Bridges
entering that all white school amid armed guards and harassment,
Jacqueline finds that remnants of segregation and bigotry are still
alive, especially in the south. The story follows her and her family as
they travel first to South Carolina and then to New York City, looking for a
place to fit in that really feels like home. South Carolina is green and
beautiful, where her mother grew up and where her grandparents live. However,
actions and attitudes here often leave Jacqueline feeling like a second class
citizen. And in New York, although the
sidewalks aren't sparkling like diamonds as she expected, she doesn't have to
be worried about being followed around by store clerks and made to enter
through a back entrance because of the color of her skin. The family tries hard to balance their new life in the city with their
traditional Jehovah’s Witness beliefs, all while missing their family back home
and feeling that they don’t exactly fit in completely in either place. As Jacqueline
struggles to find her place in the world, the one thing that never changes is
the unwavering love and support of her family. This book would be appropriate for anyone age 10 and up.
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