One Crazy Summer

BIBILOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad. ISBN: 9780060760885.

PLOT SUMMARY

“Mother is a statement of fact. Cecile Johnson gave birth to us. We came out of Cecile Johnson. In the animal kingdom that makes her our mother. Every mammal on the planet has a mother, dead or alive. Ran off or stayed put. Cecile Johnson--mammal birth giver, alive, an abandoner--is our mother. A statement of fact.”  Thus begins one crazy summer. Delphine and her sisters have been sent to Oakland to stay with the mother who abandoned them seven years previously. Their Pa feels its time for them to know Cecile. The world of Oakland turns out to be a far cry from the familiar world of Brooklyn. Expecting movie stars and Disneyland, the sisters find Black Panthers and Mean Lady Ming. Cecile doesn’t want anything to do with her daughters, telling them: “I didn’t send for you. Didn’t want you in the first place.”  The sisters spend their days at the Black Panthers summer camp, forging new friendships, and their evenings with Cecile. Slowly, they begin to understand Cecile, themselves, and the world in which they are living.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Williams-Garcia weaves a story with strong characters who grow and change with each passing chapter. Delphine, as storyteller, exhibits the strength of the oldest child who is charged with the care of her younger siblings, who claims to not need a mother, but who obviously is desperate to understand the one she has. Vonetta and Fern are strong in their roles of middle and youngest children, who want a mother, and don’t quite understand the subtle nuances that surround Cecile abandoning them. However, it is Fern who was the one who knew “we needed a hug from our mother.” All the women (girls) in this story show the strength of womanhood, including the secondary characters.

Using David Hilliard’s The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service, Garcia-Williams is able to represent all of the facets of the Black Panthers: edgy, violent, caring, teaching, supportive, demanding, and looking out for their own. Against the backdrop of the People’s Center, the sisters form friendships, almost in spite of themselves.

An interesting aspect of One Crazy Summer is Williams-Garcia’s intertwining of subcultures. Through the voices of Big Ma, Delphine, Cecile, the Black Panthers, and Pa, the reader is shown a glimpse of Blacks in Brooklyn, Alabama, and Oakland. While there are naturally similarities in these cultures, there are subtle differences in values, speech patterns, expectations, and even manners. The “Negro Jacqueline Kennedy” has a walk-on part which demonstrates yet another aspect of the Black culture. Overlying it all is a subtle layer of how Blacks were treated in the late sixties. Twice, the sisters are found to be “adorable dolls.” Within the narrative, Delphine relates a story about a trip to Alabama, where she fears for Pa’s safety when a policeman taps on the window of their parked car. All of these images are seamlessly woven together to give a picture of Delphine’s experiences as a young black girl in the sixties.

AUDIOBOOK

Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer. Audiobook. Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson. 2010. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC, 2010. CD.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

While I have enjoyed listening to the audiobook of One Crazy Summer, I am glad that I read the book first. Sisi Aisha Johnson does a fine job of reading, however, I find that her emphasis of words and phrases is different from my own interpretation of where emphasis needed to be. It took some time to connect her 11 year old voice with the voice I heard in my head as I read, but as I listened, I came to appreciate that she had a good handle on what Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern would sound like.  At times, Johnson seems to lose the voice that she wants to use to portray Cecile, alternating between gruffness and a more soothing tone.

Overall, this audiobook version of One Crazy Summer is a good listen. This book would certainly be a good choice to take in the car and listen to while driving (which is how I listened to it). It helps that the story is an interesting one and gives a good insight into the world as experienced by a young, Black girl in the late sixties.

PERSONAL RESPONSE

This book is not one that I would probably have picked up on my own, but I am glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of these three girls, especially Delphine, who discovers not only a new world, but a little bit about herself and her mother. I like Delphine’s matter-of-factness, and find it interesting that the “crazy” Cecile, who is so engrossed in her poetry, and in rhythm and sound, appears to connect with Delphine in a special way. There are many subtle nuances throughout the story that engage the reader and leave one wondering what happened to these sisters after they returned to Brooklyn, and what happened to Cecile when she heads back to her solitary life. A story that leaves one wanting more is a good story indeed.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Audie Award 2011, finalist

Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2011

John Newbery Medal, 2011, honor book

Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature, 2011

National Book Award, 2010

Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2011

Booklist Starred Review: “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.”

Kirkus: “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.”

CONNECTIONS

• Delphine is an excellent example of a young girl who is confident, no-nonsense, and sure of herself and, at least most of the time, her place in the world. Recommend these other books as well, as examples of young, strong female characters:
• Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. ISBN 978037858291
• Holm, Jennifer L. Turtle in Paradise. ISBN 9780375836909
• Use One Crazy Summer as part of a unit showing that history happens to all of us, not just what one sees on the news. Have students take a current event and write about it from their own perspective in the manner that Delphine has done.
• Research the Black Panthers and other politically-motivated groups. Compare and contrast the groups and determine which groups were effective and by what means they were effective.
• Cecile was a poet and a printer. Invite students to write poetry about political actions that are affecting their lives/families.
• Invite guest speakers who experienced the turmoil of the sixties to share what their experiences were of those times. Have students compare the speakers experiences with Delphine’s.