Brown Girl Dreaming
Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. New York, NY: Penguin.
Brown
Girl Dreaming is an exquisitely lyrical book of poetry that tells the story of
the life the author, Jacqueline Woodson. Jacqueline was born in a turbulent
time in our nation’s past, a time of segregation and Civil Rights movements.
She tells her unique perspective of the events surrounding her childhood
growing up and moving between homes in the north in both Ohio and New York and
the south in South Carolina. The poems she writes will capture your heart as
she describes the close relationship she had with her grandparents who helped
raise her a good majority of her life, particularly her grandfather. She
describes the challenges of growing up in a broken household, but the focus is
more on the love she feels surrounding her in grandparents’ home. She tells of the
difficulties her family faces as people of color when, especially in the South,
it was difficult to even get service at the local department store. She
struggles with feeling less than her smart, well-read sister, but also of
finding her voice through writing. She tells of the extended family who left
impressions on her, including cousins, aunts and uncles. She gives a personal
account of growing up as Jehovah’s Witness and tells of her struggle
deciphering her own beliefs apart from those of her family.
This
is one of the best books I have ever read. I would highly recommend this book
to anyone who thinks they do not like poetry. It will change your mind! I think
it would be great for young girls, especially young African-American girls, who
are struggling with finding their voice and purpose. Woodson's poems are powerful tools to teach students about our nation’s past and how we can learn to overcome our
mistakes and treat one another with love and respect.
Jacqueline
Woodson’s website:
Exploring Perspectives on
Desegregation Using Brown Girl Dreaming: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-perspectives-desegregation-using-31133.html
Ideas for
Classroom Use:
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