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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Watsons go to Birmingham- 1963

    

 Hook:


   “Dad turned the radio down a little more. He looked like he was thinking whether or not he should tell me something. He was looking straight at me, and even though it was real hard, I looked right back at him.


   I tried to look real intelligent and I guess it worked ‘cause finally Dad said, ‘Kenny, we’ve put a lot of thought into this. I know you’ve seen it on the news what’s happening in some parts of the South, right?’


   We’d seen the pictures of a bunch of really mad white people with twisted-up faces screaming and giving dirty finger signs to some little black kids who were trying to go to school. I’d seen the pictures but I didn’t really know how these white people could hate some kids so much.


   ‘I’ve seen it.’ I didn’t have to tell Dad I didn’t understand.


   ‘Well, a lot of times that’s going to be the way of the world for you kids. Byron is getting old enough to have to understand that his time for playing is running out fast, he’s got to realize the world doesn’t have a lot of jokes waiting for him. He’s got to be ready.” (pages 112 and 123)


Recommendation:
   Have you ever thought something was unfair and not right? Well, Kenny experienced this all his life because being a black child in the 1960’s is not a great idea. If you have some background knowledge about Alabama in the 1960’s you would know that African Americans were not treated fairly for a number of rude, improper reasons. This is a story of Kenny and his family who live in the North go to visit their Grandma in the South. Things drastically change in Kenny’s life. Find out more by reading this book and find out if Kenny’s life turns upside down or if he makes it in a world where he’s not welcome.
Title: The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Genre: Historical Fiction
Blog by: Michelle D. and Julieta F.

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