ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia ~ Culture 2

ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia

Author: Rita Williams-Garcia

Title:  One Crazy Summer

Publisher:  Amistad

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN:  9780060760908

Plot Summary

In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

Critical Analysis

This historical fiction book about the Black Panther movement in the late 1960s taught me so much about a period in American history that I didn’t know very much about. The book also showed me that there is one truth that surpasses any time frame or any race: we all want to love and be loved in return.

One Crazy Summer touches just about all genres associated with African-American literature: Family and Friends (the three sisters, a mother, Hirohito); Identity and Self-Concept (African-American, sibling responsibility); Poetry (“We Real Cool,” “I Birthed a Black Nation”); School and Community (The People’s Center); Imagination (thinking about stealing the show, thinking about what it would feel like to ride a go-kart); Spirituality (going to church, embracing Black Pride); Historical Perspectives (Black Panther Party, Cassius Clay, flying on a 727);  and Special Days (summer vacation).

Readers of One Crazy Summer will form critical consciousness around the issue of diversity and equality as they read about the civil rights movements of the Black Panther Party in California in 1968. Children will be able to relate to the lives of Delphine, Vonetta and Fern since the story is told through their perspective and yet the reader will learn about real events during the civil rights movement -- and will hopefully infer how far the African-American community has come because of those events.

While the Black Panther Party and activities are a facet of the story, the main idea is that we all want to love and be loved in return – a universal theme. The three sisters travel to California to spend four weeks during their summer vacation with their mother, who left them in New York seven years earlier. While the younger sisters (Vonetta and Fern) wish for a loving mother who cooks for them and dispenses hugs, the oldest sister, Delphine, knows better and is the true mother hen of the group. Delphine craves a word of encouragement from her mother and accepts that she will never get it. What Delphine does get is the true story as to why her mother left and it is this honesty that binds them together.

Reviews

• Booklist (2010): “Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion. 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.”
• CCBC (2010): “Rita Williams-Garcia’s fresh, funny novel resonates with depth and meaning that comes through the brilliant characterizations, sparkling dialogue, and a stunningly realistic recreation of a time and place in a story that concludes with a surprising, yet wholly satisfying resolution.”

Awards

• 2011 John Newbery Medal, Honor
• 2011 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, Winner
• 2011 Coretta Scott King Book Award, Winner (Author)
• 2010 National Book Award, Finalist (Young People’s Literature)

Connections

• Students can:

1. create a word wheel for the book as a character study
2. create a timeline for 1968
3. look up more information about the pop culture mentioned in the book: Cassius Clay, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Mighty Mouse, Captain Kangaroo, Mike Douglas Show, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, etc.
4. Using Google Earth and Google Maps, look up Oakland, Calif., and the places the girls visited on their day trip to San Francisco, Calif.

• Learn more about the author at her website: https://rita-williamsgarcia.squarespace.com

Bibliography

Cover, Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Personal photograph by Amy Wilson. September 17, 2017.

Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: Armistad, 2010. ISBN 9780060760908