The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963

 

Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham---1963. New York: Delacorte.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham is a story about a family to decide to visit Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama. Byron’s behavior is what leads them to Grandma’s house. During their visit they face racial prejudices and segregation. There is also a bombing that shocks and scares the family. When they finally decide to go home, you can’t help but feel is maybe it wasn’t so bad in Birmingham after all.

 

Review:

Kenny Watson lives with his family which consists of his parents, his little sister Joey, and his older brother Byron. Joey is good and kind, while Byron is “a mischievous boy”. In the story we read about what Kenny is going through at school, suffering bullying from his brother, and finding an unforeseen friend named Rufus. We read about the family experiences and we as readers can relate to them. This helps us to believe that they are truly genuine. The family then decides to travel to Birmingham, Alabama to visit Grandma Sands. Byron’s behavior has gotten intolerable and with hopes that Grandma can assist. We are taken back to 1963 when segregation and prejudices were in full swing. The Watsons had to strategize with planning where to stop to make sure the not to cause any problems with the white population. There’s a bombing of a church, which panic the Watsons, and makes them feel unsafe. It’s great to see how the characters come into their own, for instance Byron is the one that helps Kenny overcome what is going on. This story familiarizes the reader to the Civil Rights movement with real historical events. They are also presented with characters they can relate to.