Bibliography: Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad.

 

ISBN 978-0-06-076088-5

Plot Summary:

In the summer of 1968, 11-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, fly to Oakland, California to visit their mother, Cecile.  Cecile had inexplicably deserted them shortly after giving birth to Fern.  However, now, according to their father, seeing Cecile is “something whose time had come.”

After arriving the girls quickly realize that Cecile has no use or desire to have them around.  Their mother doesn't want them there, so the girls can't imagine why their father thought this was a good idea.  Nzilla, as Cecile is now called, is inhospitable and intimidating.  She is so focused on her poetry that she has little attention left over to share with her 3 daughters or anyone else.  Her extreme selfishness forces Delphine to act like a mother to her two younger sisters, making sure their hair is brushed and that they have something to eat. The girls are disheartened but not surprised when their selfish mother forces them to spend all day, every day, at a community center run by the Black Panthers.  Despite their initial fears of Oakland, the community center and their mother, the girls return to the Bronx with a new understanding of their civil rights and their mother. 
 

Critical Analysis:

This is a story that shares the importance of standing up for what you believe in, awakening one’s ethnic pride and the importance of family.  Set in Oakland, California during the summer of 1968 Rita Williams-Garcia does an excellent job of accurately describing the social fabric of the times and the patterns of daily life.  There was a sense of restlessness to the Civil Rights movement which Williams-Garcia was able to capture through her depiction of the community center run by the Black Panthers and Cecile’s character. 

The general restlessness of the community was sensed the moment Delphine, the protagonist, and her sisters enter the center.  They notice that everyone, not just blacks, were welcomed.  The Panther’s served breakfast every morning.  They ran a summer camp for the neighborhood kids which included lessons in community activism.  Furthermore, they organized events such as the community rally. 

Cecile’s character represented the sense of freedom and independence that women of that time period were starting to exhibit.  Although Cecile’s character would be considered selfish and dark in any time period, her willingness to be free and independent at all cost mirrors the social fabric of this era. Cecile’s ability to write poetry empowers her to stand up for what she believes, while Delphine is empowered to stand up for herself and her sisters by her strong sense of family responsibility and commitment.    

The plot is realistically presented. The reader feels great sympathy for these characters and experiences an accurate sense of the internal conflict that the protagonist Delphine felt towards the two primary values of the time.  Delphine did not know whether to act, believe and continue to internalize the values of her grandmother, Big Ma’ or to accept the values of the Black Panther’s and her mom. 

The way in which this internal conflict was addressed in this book was brilliant, to see it addressed through the insight of a child simply made the difference really transparent and palatable.  Big Ma’ had raised her, she had cared for her when her mother abandoned her.  Big Ma’ had taught her how behave in front of white people so that they would not judge her by the color of her skin.  But, the Black Panthers and her mom’s independence represented her newly discovered sense of ethnic pride. 

Delphine reconciles this conflict by accepting her newly aroused sense of ethnic pride, while continuing to behave in the responsible manner which everyone including herself has come to expect of her. 

The importance of family is the theme which speaks the loudest to the readers of today.  This story is skillfully written, it is at times heartbreaking and triumphant.  Williams-Garcia grounds this theme to this time period by delicately weaving historical details into the story.  Delphine, and her sisters learn first-hand about the Black Panthers because their mother needs a place to dispose of them during the day so that she isn’t bothered.

During this daily exposure, the girls absorb the pro-active measures that the Black Panthers take to represent themselves.  Some activities such as making and distributing pamphlets for the community rally help the girls to discover their sense of ethnic pride and accept the new set of values that they are learning from their new community. 

This exposure however, does not change the way Delphine and her sisters speak to each other.  Throughout the story they talk in a familiar and knowing way. The two younger sisters clearly think and act like their age, while 11-year -old Delphine is left with the responsibility to think more like an adult, since Cecile is not interested in playing that role.   

Activities:

Social Studies:
Invite students to research the Black Panther Party by visiting www.blackpanther.org and view a historical photo tour of the Black Panthers at http://www.bobbyseale.com/phototour/1.htm Then invite students to research Southern Christian Leadership Conference lead by Martin Luther King Jr. at http://sclcnational.org/our-history/ .  Finally, invite students to create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the principles of the Black Panther Party to that of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  

Writing:
Students can write a persuasive essay for joining either The Black Panther Party or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Older students can have a formal debate.

Recommended books by Rita Williams-Garcia:

• P.S. Be Eleven
• Like Sisters On The Homefront
• Jumped
• Fast Talk On A Slow Track

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Book 2011
• King Medal Author Award 2011
• Booklist Books for Middle Readers 2010
• Best Books of the Year 2010
• Book Links Lasting Connections 2010
• Fanfare 2010
• Historical and Realistic Fiction 2011
• Notable Children’s Books for Middle Readers 2011
• Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts 2011

Reviews:
*Starred Review*

Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (Excerpt from School Library Journal )

*Starred Review*

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. --Gillian Engberg (Excerpt from Booklist)

“The setting and time period are as vividly realized as the characters, and readers will want to know more about Delphine and her sisters after they return to Brooklyn with their radical new ideas about the world.” (Excerpt from Horn Book)

“Modern young readers will find it interesting to read about the conflicting views of the African-American community at that time, as I was. They certainly will be intrigued by the plight of these three children who are caught up in the major issues of that time, made all the more poignant by the insightful first-person narrative of this precocious young girl. Highly Recommended.” (Excerpt from Library Media Connection)

*Starred Review*

“Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. 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.” (Excerpt from Kirkus Review)

“A growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers.” (Excerpt from Publishers Weekly)