Bibliographic Data: Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad. 9780060760892
Plot Summary:
It is the 1960s and Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland to see their estranged mother, Cecile, for the first time in seven years. The journey they embark on is far more than just a cross-country trip. They must quickly learn to navigate the murky waters of traveling a new city without parental accompaniment, civil unrest, racial tension, the “real deal” with the black panthers, and their relationship with Cecile.
Critical Analysis:
Cecile left her girls shortly after Fern was born, because she was unhappy she could not name her. This set in motion the early maturity of Delphine, her eldest, as she would be forced to take on the role of her younger sisters’ caretaker. From chapter one and the initial plane ride to Oakland, to landing in the airport, the reader is immediately aware of Delphine’s role in the girls’ lives. She can predict certain actions that will result in a fit from either of them, and is careful not to allow those things to happen. It is in this premeditation that we are introduced to the underlying theme of this book; colored people are not treated equally. Big Ma, their paternal grandmother, has made it quite clear that if they act out they are being an embarrassment to the “negro race”. Therefore, with this in the forefront of her mind, Delphine coaches her sisters to act like proper ladies.
Delphine is not surprised that they are not met with a warm embrace from their estranged mother. Big Ma had warned that Cecile is a cold and selfish poet, and her behavior at the airport further sets the tone for how she is likely to behave the next four weeks the girls are with her.
Delphine is quickly thrown back into caretaker mode, as she must guide the girls across the city by foot to pick up their takeout meals, to run errands, and to attend summer camp at the Black Panther Center. She coddles Fern, the youngest, which still carries a doll (a clear abandonment issue), and tries to be kind and patient to the “ham” of the family, Vonetta, the middle sister.
The girls quickly become aware of the civil unrest surrounding them, as they start learning about segregation, famous African American leaders, and the revolution the Black Panthers are fighting for. The girls learn this issue is one that effects them greatly as “girls of color”, and stop fighting what they learn in summer camp. Through these teachings, Delphine is able to gather confidence and to start making simple demands from their mother; the use of her kitchen to cook real food, a small television for entertainment, and the like.
Despite the growing tensions, and Delphine’s feeling that perhaps the summer camp is not a good place for her younger sisters, they continue to go. Upon returning home one day they see their mother is being arrested. Delphine decides not to call her guardians in New York, and instead they take on the task of cleaning Cecile’s things. It is during this time the girls are finally able to read some of her poetry in order to get a better understanding of who Cecile is, and what she is writing about. One poem in particular really stands out to the girls as paramount to the racial inequality issues, and they decide to have it read at a rally. This begins the icebreaking between Cecile and the girls.
Eventually they are leaving to return back to Brooklyn, and overcome with emotion the girls run and embrace their mother for the first time in many years. Although Cecile is not warm, nor half the mother Delphine has been to the girls, they realize she loves them in her own broken way.
Cultural and Historical Markers:
There is a plethora of Cultural and Historical markers, which help set the tone, and scene of the story. For starters, the girls’ grandmother, Big Ma, still refers to the JFK Airport as Idlewild. Is this a slight at it being renamed for a white man, or simply to show that she is stuck in her old ways, the reader cannot be sure, but it is interesting. Big Ma also asks another colored woman at the airport to keep an eye on her girls, because, as Delphine alludes, if they act up they are being an embarrassment to the Negro race. Upon arrival to Oakland, the stewardess remains with the girls to watch them, and does not intervene when an old, affluent, white lady is talking to them. Yet, when they see their mother, the stewardess is quick to question her, as she is a black woman adorned in Black Panther clothing. It is within the first two chapters that readers understand there is a big disparity in which black and white people are treated, and the subsequent chapters paint the picture of the 1960s. There are references to Red China, Mighty Mouse, Captain Kangaroo, Afros, Elizabeth Taylor’s many husbands, Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy’s murder, black power, bellbottoms, race riots, and the first colored actors appearing on television.
Starred Reviews:
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALl: "Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading."
KIRKUS: "Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page."
Awards:
2011 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2011 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award Winner
2011 Newbery Medal Nominee
2010 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner
2010 National Book Award Nominee
Connections:
This story is very similar in tone to the previous book I reviewed, ‘Feathers’, in that it touches on many of the same elements. The central character is mature beyond her years, and is introduced to her role in the world as a woman of color. These two books would be wonderful if paired together for a block on the civil rights movement and the teachings of the 1960s and 1970s. A vin diagram would be perfect for these books, as middle school children could draw two overlapping circles and write all of the similarities of the books in the center. It would probably surprise them by how many issues overlap, and this will show how important race inequality is as an issue. However, I have recently learned that these books, although central to one main concept, should not only be shared during black history month! They should be enjoyed year round.
There is also a sequal to this book;” P.S. BE ELEVEN. 2013. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780061938627
Plot Summary:
It is the 1960s and Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland to see their estranged mother, Cecile, for the first time in seven years. The journey they embark on is far more than just a cross-country trip. They must quickly learn to navigate the murky waters of traveling a new city without parental accompaniment, civil unrest, racial tension, the “real deal” with the black panthers, and their relationship with Cecile.
Critical Analysis:
Cecile left her girls shortly after Fern was born, because she was unhappy she could not name her. This set in motion the early maturity of Delphine, her eldest, as she would be forced to take on the role of her younger sisters’ caretaker. From chapter one and the initial plane ride to Oakland, to landing in the airport, the reader is immediately aware of Delphine’s role in the girls’ lives. She can predict certain actions that will result in a fit from either of them, and is careful not to allow those things to happen. It is in this premeditation that we are introduced to the underlying theme of this book; colored people are not treated equally. Big Ma, their paternal grandmother, has made it quite clear that if they act out they are being an embarrassment to the “negro race”. Therefore, with this in the forefront of her mind, Delphine coaches her sisters to act like proper ladies.
Delphine is not surprised that they are not met with a warm embrace from their estranged mother. Big Ma had warned that Cecile is a cold and selfish poet, and her behavior at the airport further sets the tone for how she is likely to behave the next four weeks the girls are with her.
Delphine is quickly thrown back into caretaker mode, as she must guide the girls across the city by foot to pick up their takeout meals, to run errands, and to attend summer camp at the Black Panther Center. She coddles Fern, the youngest, which still carries a doll (a clear abandonment issue), and tries to be kind and patient to the “ham” of the family, Vonetta, the middle sister.
The girls quickly become aware of the civil unrest surrounding them, as they start learning about segregation, famous African American leaders, and the revolution the Black Panthers are fighting for. The girls learn this issue is one that effects them greatly as “girls of color”, and stop fighting what they learn in summer camp. Through these teachings, Delphine is able to gather confidence and to start making simple demands from their mother; the use of her kitchen to cook real food, a small television for entertainment, and the like.
Despite the growing tensions, and Delphine’s feeling that perhaps the summer camp is not a good place for her younger sisters, they continue to go. Upon returning home one day they see their mother is being arrested. Delphine decides not to call her guardians in New York, and instead they take on the task of cleaning Cecile’s things. It is during this time the girls are finally able to read some of her poetry in order to get a better understanding of who Cecile is, and what she is writing about. One poem in particular really stands out to the girls as paramount to the racial inequality issues, and they decide to have it read at a rally. This begins the icebreaking between Cecile and the girls.
Eventually they are leaving to return back to Brooklyn, and overcome with emotion the girls run and embrace their mother for the first time in many years. Although Cecile is not warm, nor half the mother Delphine has been to the girls, they realize she loves them in her own broken way.
Cultural and Historical Markers:
There is a plethora of Cultural and Historical markers, which help set the tone, and scene of the story. For starters, the girls’ grandmother, Big Ma, still refers to the JFK Airport as Idlewild. Is this a slight at it being renamed for a white man, or simply to show that she is stuck in her old ways, the reader cannot be sure, but it is interesting. Big Ma also asks another colored woman at the airport to keep an eye on her girls, because, as Delphine alludes, if they act up they are being an embarrassment to the Negro race. Upon arrival to Oakland, the stewardess remains with the girls to watch them, and does not intervene when an old, affluent, white lady is talking to them. Yet, when they see their mother, the stewardess is quick to question her, as she is a black woman adorned in Black Panther clothing. It is within the first two chapters that readers understand there is a big disparity in which black and white people are treated, and the subsequent chapters paint the picture of the 1960s. There are references to Red China, Mighty Mouse, Captain Kangaroo, Afros, Elizabeth Taylor’s many husbands, Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy’s murder, black power, bellbottoms, race riots, and the first colored actors appearing on television.
Starred Reviews:
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALl: "Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading."
KIRKUS: "Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page."
Awards:
2011 American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award Winner
2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2011 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award Winner
2011 Newbery Medal Nominee
2010 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year Award Winner
2010 National Book Award Nominee
Connections:
This story is very similar in tone to the previous book I reviewed, ‘Feathers’, in that it touches on many of the same elements. The central character is mature beyond her years, and is introduced to her role in the world as a woman of color. These two books would be wonderful if paired together for a block on the civil rights movement and the teachings of the 1960s and 1970s. A vin diagram would be perfect for these books, as middle school children could draw two overlapping circles and write all of the similarities of the books in the center. It would probably surprise them by how many issues overlap, and this will show how important race inequality is as an issue. However, I have recently learned that these books, although central to one main concept, should not only be shared during black history month! They should be enjoyed year round.
There is also a sequal to this book;” P.S. BE ELEVEN. 2013. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780061938627