Bibliography
Williams-Garcia, Rita. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad, 2010. ISBN 978-0-06076088-5
Plot Summary
African American sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are sent from their father and grandmother’s house in Brooklyn to Oakland , CA to spend the summer with their estranged mother, Cecile. Their mother seems to be hiding a big secret, being somehow involved with the Black Panthers. When Cecile sends her daughters to the rec center down the street, the three girls end up in a Black Panther summer camp for children. The girls don’t quite understand why they are placed in this new place, especially since Cecile doesn’t seem to be at all interested in the daughters she left behind in Brooklyn. Delphine, eleven, is the oldest of the three girls, acting as the motherly figure to her sisters. She is responsible and smart beyond her years. Vonetta, nine, seeks to be the center of attention in all situations. Fern, seven, is the youngest and clings to her white baby doll, trying to be more grown up like her older sisters. As the summer progresses, the girls stop counting down the days until they leave and start to learn more and more about the Panthers and the mother who left them behind seven years prior. It is a summer of discovery of themselves, their family past and the future being made in front of their eyes in Oakland.
Critical Analysis
This book taught me a lot I did not know about the Black Panthers in a way that kept me entertained and did not feel like a history lesson. Garcia-Williams weaves the history of the Black Panthers and their cause into the story of Delphine and her sisters. Between learning about Huey Newton and the changing of Cassius Clay into Mohammed Ali, the overthrow of oppression of African Americans was thriving in Oakland .
Delphine is a strong young lady who has clearly been forced to grow up and care for her sisters far too early. Throughout the story, it is clear that the lack of her mother has led her to be the girl she is. Her sisters were younger when their mother left (with Fern being a newborn) so they have not been expected from their father or grandmother to step up like Delphine. I liked the very different personalities the three sisters had, but also the way Garcia-Williams explains how they are so similar. It is very hard to like Cecile who cares so little about her children, but as the story unfolds, it is apparent that she has had to do this in order to make her girls strong for the fights they’ll have to fight in their lives. A lot of very adult actions are introduced in front of the girls at the rec center, but I think they are actions that young children saw in real life. While hard lessons, I think those taught to Delphine and her sisters are worthwhile. I loved reading about the three girls finding their own voice, standing up for oppression and learning to accept a mother who abandoned them.
Awards and Review Excerpts
2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2011 Newbery Honor Book
2011 Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction
2010 National Book Award Finalist
Junior Library Guild Selection
Texas Library Association Best Book for 2010
“Author Rita Williams-Garcia has a fine ear for the squabbles and fierce loyalties of siblings and a keen eye for kid-centered period details, including collect phone calls, go-go boots and the TV dolphin Flipper. With authenticity and humor, she portrays the ever-shifting dynamics among ultra-responsible Delphine, show-off Vonetta and stubborn Fern.” – Washington Post
“Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love.” - Booklist
“And, I’m sorry. You can make amazing, believable characters all day if you want to, but there’s more to writing than just that. This writer doesn’t just conjure up people. She has a way with a turn of a phrase. Three Black Panthers talking with Cecile are, “Telling it like it is, like talking was their weapon.” Later Cecile tells her eldest daughter, “It wouldn’t kill you to be selfish, Delphine.” This book is a pleasure to cast your eyes over.” – School Library Journal
“Each girl has a distinct response to her motherless state, and Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. The depiction of the time is well done, and 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.” – Kirkus Starred Review
Connections
· Travel from Brooklyn, NY to Oakland, CA plays a big role to the girls in the book. Have children learn about the cultures in Brooklyn and Oakland. What are the people like? The weather? What is there to do in these towns?
· Have students investigate the Black Panthers and prominent figures in the African American Civil Rights Movement. Read biographies like Martin Luther King, Jr.: Young Man With a Dream by Dharthahula H. Millender.
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