Module 14: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson

Citation:

Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.

Summary:

This story written in verse is a powerful story of the author growing up during the civil rights movement. Moving from Ohio to South Carolina soon after she was born, Jaqueline only knew the south, except for the stories she was told. After living with her grandfather and grandmother as her secondary care givers, Jaqueline's mom moves her and her three siblings to New York City. Each part of the story is given in detail and the verse is used to convey emotion.

My Thoughts:

This is what I love about poetry. Like a graphic novel uses pictures and panels to tell a story on another level, the verse style of this autobiography is used to convey an unspoken emotion, or make a spoken emotion deeper. Jaqueline Woodson tells her story as one many can connect to. A unique story in it's own, but full of love, laughter, drama, and tears. Children from 4th grade and up would enjoy this story.

Professional review:

"Written in precise prose poems that are spoton about issues of race and the way the world was slowly changing as she grew up in the 1960s and '70s, Woodson's work is memorable for the way it promotes an understanding of the era and how a writer internalizes her environment. Those familiar with the two-time National Book Award nominee's fiction will pick up on autobiographical threads-the exploration of deep friendships, her delight in music, the feel of inner-city Brooklyn. Whenever authors read their own work, it's always a gamble whether they will be able to bring to life orally the words they own. Woodson is a competent and even-toned, though dry, reader of her fictionalized memoir. She is emphatic about her pride in her family and in her young, growing awareness of her abilities as observer and writer. Yet she doesn't bring anything brightly unique to her narrative inflections. In libraries where her work is in demand, the audio will make a worthy addition to the collection."

Cruze, K. (2015). Brown girl dreaming. The Booklist, 111(9), 117. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2165/docview/1645912945?accountid=7113  

Library use:

This would be a great opening read for a poetry slam night or a poetry writing workshop. The author shows the emotion using the prose and the verse is a great example. It could also be used in a civil rights display, Black History Month display or Biography display.