Let me tell you, Christopher Paul Curtis' book did not fail to disappoint. The Watsons Go to Birmingham was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, a story that perfectly portrayed an African American family caught unwittingly in the turbulent events of the Civil Rights Era, specifically the16th Street Baptist Church bombing of 1963. The precious voice of the book's nerdy 8-year old narrator, Kenny Watson, endearingly captures the innocence of his youth, his earnest desire to fit in with his older brother Byron and his friends, and his struggle to understand the senseless nature of the violent bombing that rocks his family's world. The story begins in Flint, Michigan where the Watsons are originally from. They are a family chock full of personalities. There's Dad, the mischevious patriarch, Momma, the heart of the family and a Southern transplant from Alabama, Byron, the older brother who fancies himself a rebel without a cause, Kenny, the quiet, studious narrator and Joey, the lovable little sister. It's never a dull moment around the Watson house - the first chapter opens with the entire family huddled together on their couch wearing every layer of clothing they own to keep warm and ends with Bryon's lips glued to the frozen side mirror of the family car after trying to kiss his own reflection.
That is, until, Bryon's troublemaking ways get to be too much for Momma and Dad to handle and the entire family ships down to Birmingham, Alabama, Momma's hometown, to spend sometime with their maternal grandmother. Their visit chillingly coincides with the horrible attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in September of 1963. Before the bombing, Kenny nearly drowns in a swimming hole and has a vision of his sister Joetta (Joey) as an angel. Just a few weeks later, the family learns that the church where Joey is attending Sunday School has been bombed. Kenny runs down to find his missing sister and steps into the still smoking ruins of the church, but is unable to find Joey. He returns home to find Joey safe but is so disturbed by what he saw at the bombed out church, he sinks into a depression. Eventually he heals, thanks to the surprising help of his older brother.
Given the senstive nature of some of The Watsons content, I think it goes without saying that this was an extremely emotional book. However, I think it is important for children to read to understand the themes of love, loss and recovery. These are complex emotions that can be hard to work through if you are a child, so seeing a character who is very similar to themselves experience them and work through them could be an invaluable teaching experience. I would be sensitive to the age group and maturity level of your classroom but I think this could really work with upper elementary grades, specifically 5th and 6th graders. This book also won the Coretta Scott King Award and was a Newbury Honor Book, so it is widely known and recognized for its excellence. Scholastic has a great guide to the book featuring an interview with the author, comprehension questions, related activities and related reading (http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/pdfs/Watsons.pdf)
As a result of this popularity, there are plenty of lesson plans, study guides and reading comprehension questions available on the Internet. I could also see some connections to modern day events, particularly if students have learned about the Civil Rights Era before and could connect it to civil rights issues of today. Teachers could also direct connections between the bombing of a church to modern events like September 11th or if students have experiences from the on-going war. Obviously these are not subjects to be handled lightly and require sensitivity but the book could be an interesting jumping off point to discuss connections between past and present. I would definitely recommend The Watsons Go to Birmingham as a touching and thought-provoking historical read!
I'm a huge historical fiction fan too, but I've never read this book. I've always heard great things and your review confirms that. I really like your teaching suggestions. It seems like a pretty tough/deep story and reading it in class really depends on your kids. Great ideas on making connections to modern-day tragedies!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Carolyn. This book clearly had an impact on you and I cannot wait to read it for myself! I, like you, LOVE history and historical fiction, and this era is particularly interesting to me. Since this is such an emotional story, I think it would be really interesting to have your students journal (or even blog) about it as they read. It may be easier for some students to write about how they feel rather than talk about it. I would love to teach this book!
ReplyDeleteGreat tie to current events. many times we think of past events as so detached from our daily lives, that it is hard to establish an empathetic comprehension of historic events, especially from younger students. When you can tie them into an event less distant in space and time, students can gain a better understanding. I feel that September 11th helped me understand what the bombing of Pearl Harbor was like. What a great correlation!
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