BIBLIOGRPAHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014. BROWN GIRL DREAMING. New York, NY. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-399-25251-8
PLOT SUMMARY
Jaqueline Woodson, in Brown Girl Dreaming, talks about her life and memories of her childhood through free verse. Her complicated life moving from one place to the next while making friends, honoring their religion and experiencing life all lead up to her inspiration to becoming a writer. Academics did not come easily to her compared to her siblings, but words in the forms of poems did and teachers who recognized this talent motivated and inspired her to take her pencil to paper.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Brown Girl Dreaming is an authentic experience of the African American culture through reflecting on direct cultural experiences of her ancestors living life unfree to her experience with the ongoing revolution that made her a part of history. Her experience growing up being taught to be well-mannered, not say bad words, and forbidden from saying words such as “ain’t, huh? Y'all, gunna, git”, do as they are told, speak with yes sir no sir, all show how Jacqueline’s mother raised her children, and everyone complimented her for their good manners. The mention of traveling at night, which was safer for brown people as she mentions, shows an accurate portrait of the time and setting for this period of war for civil rights.
In the chapter of Miss Bell and Marcher, we see a great amount of the African American culture as a group of people gather in secret disguising their gathering as a dinner but planning their participation in marching for their civil rights. Here they share meals and Miss Bell “knows that people fighting need full bellies to think and a safe place to gather.” As they share in sweet tea, corn bread, and potato salad we get a glimpse of their customs and traditions.
Although her life was complicated with her mother leaving for New York with the promise of returning for her children, they are left to grow up with their grandparents. Here they are not allowed to play with certain children, but once they make their way to New York Jacqueline makes a forever friend with Maria who shows us a great interaction with characters of other cultures through language and food. Woodson and Maria engage in each other’s cultures exchanging food such as fried chicken and macaroni with Maria’s moms pasteles and pernil. The author shares at the end of her book how their friendship has continued for over five decades. Also, while growing up with her mother, her and her brothers are not allowed to listen to certain music, which she would hear in secret with her friends.
The free verse format is an appealing one as it is easy to read and interesting to go through. The timeline of Jacqueline Woodson’s life from her birth and how she got her name to her back-and-forth life between her mother in the city and her grandparents who grow old keeps the reader engaged and interested to see how her writing potential is noticed and encouraged leading her to develop her full potential. She includes diversity of children from all over the world as she reflects on the show, The Big Blue Marble. She invites us to reflect on the diversity we live amongst as she mentions, “This big blue marble of world and words and people and places inside my head and somewhere out there, too. All of it, mine now if I just listen and write it down.”
The “What I Believe” verse is a powerful summary of her life. Especially the line, “I believe in Black people and White people coming together.” Here, Woodson shows celebrates diversity and her belief in the future. The author’s note is important to read in order to better understand how she spent a long time trying to put these memories together with the help of her family and forever friends.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2015
Booklist, 01/01/15
Booklist starred, 08/01/14
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred, 09/01/14
Christian Library Journal, 09/01/15
Coretta Scott King Author Award, 2015
Horn Book Guide starred, 04/01/15
Newbery Honor, 2015
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor, 2015
School Library Journal starred, 07/01/14
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), 10/01/14
Booklist starred (August 2014 (Vol. 110, No. 22)): “The resulting memoir in verse is a marvel, as it turns deeply felt remembrances of Woodson’s preadolescent life into art, through memories of her homes in Ohio, South Carolina, and, finally, New York City, and of her friends and family.”
Horn Book Guide Starred (Spring 2015): “We see young Jackie grow up not just in historical context but also in the context of extended family, community, and religion (she was raised Jehovah’s Witness). Most notable, we travel her development as a nascent writer.”
School Library Journal (July 1, 2014): “With exquisite metaphorical verse Woodson weaves a patchwork of her life experience, from her supportive, loving maternal grandparents, her mother’s insistence on good grammar, to the lifetime friend she meets in New York, that covers readers with a warmth and sensitivity no child should miss.”
CONNECTIONS
This book sets the perfect example for free verse poems. Students can reflect on a favorite memory and transform it into a free verse poem.
Having readers look over the photographs at the end of book to become familiar with the author is a great way for them to become familiar with Jacqueline Woodson.
Displaying other books by Jacqueline Woodson would be ideal so readers who enjoyed the book can continue enjoying her writing.
Having readers search Jacqueline Woodson on the internet will help them learn more about her, her writing and potentially become followers of her writing.
Hawkins, Barb. 100 VERSES ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER. ISBN 978-0-9765951-0-6.
Paulsen, Gary. GONE TO THE WOODS: SURVIVING A LOST CHILDHOOD. ISBN 978-1-25086-655-4.
Brown, Willie Mae. MY SELMA: TRUE STORIES OF A SOUTHERN CHILDHOOD AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. ISBN 979-83-687-2379-2(originally 978-1-25084-801-7)
