The
Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963, USA: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
This story is based in
Flint, Michigan in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement. The family unit
consist of the father Daniel, the mother Wilona and three children-Byron the
oldest-juvenile delinquent, Kenny the middle child and Josette (Joey) the
youngest. Mom and Dad decide to take a trip to Grandma Sands house in Alabama
when Byron’s behavior gets out of control. The plan is to leave him there for
the summer and possibly the next school year. Shortly after arriving, there is
a terrible church bombing that leaves four young girl’s dead and others
seriously injured. Unfortunately, Kenny is a witness to the aftermath and goes
into seclusion. To everyone’s surprise, it is Kenny who comes to his rescue and
can help him cope.
This book is still
relevant in today’s time and should be a constant in all schools. There are
quite a few lessons dealt with throughout this book, three of the most
prevalent for me are family, race and mortality. The Watson’s stick together no
matter what, especially a time when racial tension in America was at a high. They
all quickly learned that tomorrow is not promised and life is precious and can
be gone in an instant.
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