1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson,
Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. New
York: Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Publishing Group, 2014. ISBN 97803992522518
2.
PLOT SUMMARY
Jacqueline Woodson chronicles her life in poetic
verse beginning with childhood memories and dreams in which she reveals her
childhood experiences which nurtured the writer she is today. She shares her
reminiscences of leaving her father in Ohio and the influence of growing up in
the South as an African-American with her family, her cousins, and her
grandmother during the turbulent 1960s. Woodson captures the feeling of loss
and despair when she departs the security of her grandparents and moves from
her South Carolina home to New York. She reveals the dangerous times of the
Civil Rights movement when her mother sneaks out to participate in the marches,
being trained to “swallow back fear” and moving to the back of the bus with her
mother whispering, “We’re as good as anybody.” Growing up Woodson had difficulty reading and had to
memorize words but as she listened to her teacher reading poetry she began to
understand how her imagination and memory was limitless.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Woodson’s account of the relationships and events
that formed her childhood is brought forth in an expressive and powerfully
moving, lyrical, free verse collection of poems. The reader is propelled forward in the
journey of self-discovery and how the events of our world shape even the
youngest participants. The imagery is compelling and is warmly described
throughout the events of Woodson’s childhood.
She remembers moving and leaving her father behind,
“one hand on the black metal railing, the other lifting into a weak wave
good-bye. As though we were simply guests leaving Sunday supper.” We are
transported to that porch watching the family separate and witness her father’s
powerlessness to keep them close. When we find out her uncle has been killed in
an accident, we can feel the loss and recognize the finality of death in her
words, “a new pain where once there wasn’t pain--a hollowness where only
minutes before--she had been whole”. Woodson allows us to feel the
determination and purposefulness of the Civil Rights movement as we listen to
her grandfather’s words, “And nobody colored in the South is stopping, until
everybody knows what’s true.”
Marking powerful human connections, Woodson’s
descriptive images are emotionally charged as we connect to our own goodbyes.
She describes the phone calls with her Grandma as the missing of home deep
inside her as her Grandmas says, “I love you, too, the South is so heavy in her
mouth my eyes fill up with missing of everything and everyone that I’ve ever
known.” These expressive words send us reeling to find our own way
back home driven by the ever pressing hunger of familiar tones buried deep
within our heart.
Woodson’s poetry is written for young adults from
fourth grade and older. She inspires our youth with the growth of our nation
from the Civil Rights movement and the challenge to continue to dream. “When
there are many worlds, you can choose the one you walk into each day.” The
collection is inspiring and uplifting as the reader is challenged to dare to
dream in simple poetic verse infused with imagery and charged with deep running
emotions.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
“Most
notably of all, perhaps, we trace her development as a nascent writer, from her
early, overarching love of stories through her struggles to learn to read
through the thrill of her first blank composition book to her realization that
"words are [her] brilliance." The poetry here sings: specific,
lyrical, and full of imagery: "So the first time my mother goes to New
York City / we don't know to be sad, the weight / of our grandparents' love
like a blanket / with us beneath it, / safe and warm." An extraordinary--indeed
brilliant--portrait of a writer as a young girl.” From Horn Book Magazine, August
27, 2014
“Poetry
is an excellent vehicle for illustrating her emotions while she tries to make
sense of the world that is changing so rapidly around her. She conveys a genuine
feel for the experience of African Americans in the era where they are moving
from the back of the bus to being accepted everywhere, especially from a
child's point of view.” From Voice of Youth Advocates, October 01, 2014
“The
writer's passion for stories and storytelling permeates the memoir, explicitly
addressed in her early attempts to write books and implicitly conveyed through
her sharp images and poignant observations seen through the eyes of a child.
Woodson's ability to listen and glean meaning from what she hears lead to an
astute understanding of her surroundings, friends, and family.” From Publishers
Weekly, May 26, 2014
Booksense
Bestseller List
Publishers
Weekly Bestseller List
New
York Times Bestseller List
National
Book Awards Winner 2014
Newbery
Medal Nominated 2015
Robert
F. Sibert Informational Book Award Nominated 2015
American
Library Association Notable Books for Children Winner 2015
Coretta
Scott King Awards Winner 2015
Publishers
Weekly Best Books of the Year Winner 2014
Publishers
Weekly Best Children's Books Winner 2014
Los
Angeles Times Book Prizes Nominated 2014
Boston
Globe-Horn Book Awards Nominated 2015
North
Carolina Children's Book Award Nominated 2016
Volunteer
State Book Award Nominated 2016
Alabama
Camellia Children's Choice Award Nominated 2015
Maryland
Children's Book Award Nominated 2015
Southern
Independent Booksellers Alliance Book Awards Winner 2015
5. CONNECTIONS
Students
will explore Jacqueline Woodson website http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
to learn more about the author and what influenced her to write.
Students
will select another book by the author such as, Behind You, After Tupac and D
Foster, Feathers, Coming On Home Soon, Hush, to study her craft and themes.
Students
will study the views and conflicts regarding desegregation in 1963 in different
regions of the United States.
Students
will explore how the title is reflected in the story.
After
discussing the ten listen poems, students will compose their own, “Listen” poems.
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