Kenny Watson’s life is a little different, peculiar enough that they call him and the rest of his family the “Weird Watsons.” What makes them weird isn’t just the fact that Kenny’s dad owns one of the ugliest cars in town, or that his mom is very over-protective and covers them in winter-gear, but Kenny also has to deal with a delinquent older brother, a sensitive baby sister, and a lazy eye. Living in Flint, Michigan isn’t working out for the Watsons; Byron keeps looking for trouble in all the wrong places, Kenny keeps getting picked on, and Momma is at her wits end with the cold and her son. The only thing left to do is go back to Grandma Sand in Birmingham, Alabama.
At Grandma’s there is a new sense of hope given to the Watsons, everything seems to change, including Byron, that is until trouble finds them yet again. In 1963, there were still issues that hadn’t been settled when it came to minorities. Unfortunately, Kenny is wrapped up around this issue of racial tension in Alabama.
Book Review:
Readers, especially those close to the border, may
understand how it is to live in a place where being a minority can get you
killed, but recently they can make connections to other church bombings and
other acts of violence that have been mentioned in the news. This connection is
significant because they will understand the feelings that Kenny went through
based on the affects this violence had on him. Violence seen in Juarez, Mexico
in their lifetime and recent attacks on churches will show the reader that even
though the setting is in another southern state, violence does not discriminate
on time or place.
Finding out
about the bombings and other violent situations in the south at the time will
intrigue historical fiction readers because they will understand what the
characters went through, and hopefully find comfort in the fact that time heals
all wounds, and that community can help make a change.
The Watson's Go To Birmingham Movie Trailer
The Watson's Go To Birmingham Movie Trailer
Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. New York: Delacorte Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment