ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams- Garcia

ONE CRAZY SUMMER

By Rita Williams-Garcia

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, R., 2010, One Crazy Summer, Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers, New York, ISBN 9780060760885

PLOT SUMMARY

One Crazy Summer is a historical fiction narrated by an eleven year old girl who is shipped off with her two sisters to spend the summer with their mother who abandoned them as infants.  Delphine, Vonetta and Fern find themselves in Oakland, California in 1968 with estranged mother, Cecile. Just as Delphine had feared, their mother wants nothing to do with them upon their arrival and the girls are quickly directed to The Black Panther’s People’s Center for food and supervision.  It is there that the story unfolds.  The sisters learn about the Black Panther’s movement, make unexpected friends and learn a great deal about themselves and each other through the bond and conflicts experienced by sisters and mothers and daughters.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Rita Williams-Garcia writes a wonderful story with extensive description and marvelous character development.  The three sister’s characters are brilliantly established and Garcia’s ability to parallel the conflicts of growing up, one’s longing for a mother’s love and the turbulence of civil rights in the late 1960’s is exquisite.  One Crazy Summer, written for ages 10 through 14, provides a story rich in family conflict and social and historical struggles which are age appropriate. While the timeline and historical references are authentic through proof of research and references details of the Black Panther movement could have been more comprehensive for this age group.  

One Crazy Summer explores the journey of one’s emotional and physical needs and rights and is a story that every young teenage girl should encounter.
(Historical fiction ages 10 -14)

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Kirkus, starred review- “Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...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”

Booklist, 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.”

Horn Book, starred review- “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...”

School Library Journal, 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.”

The New York Times, “In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a child’s-eye view of the Black Panther movement within a powerful and affecting story of sisterhood and motherhood.

AWARDS: 
2011 Coretta Scott King Award Winner
2011 Newbery Honor Book
2011 Scott O’Dell Prize for Historical Fiction
2010 National Book Award Finalist
Junior Library Guild Selection
Texas Library Association Best Book for 2010
New York Times Editor’s Choice

CONNECTIONS:

Language Arts
I Wish I Had a Camera: Choose one scene in the book that you think is especially descriptive. Be prepared to tell the class why the scene is important in the development of the characters, the plot, or the theme.
Writing Prompts:
Delphine researches her name. Explore the meaning or history of your name (first name or surname). What did you learn?
Read the poem ―We Real Cool‖ by Gwendolyn Brooks. Summarize the poem.
Respond to the following quote by Vonetta: ―We didn’t come for the revolution. We came for breakfast‖ (p88).
Social Studies/Arts
Asks students to research:
Research any of the following movements: Black Nationalism, Women’s Liberation, Native American Rights, Latino American Rights, Environmental Movement, and Vietnam Protests
Who were the major figures in music during the 1960s?
Research any of the following: Kent State University, Woodstock, Earth Day, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Students for a Democratic Society, Voting Rights Act 1965, LSD, Selective Service, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, National Organization for Women, Civil Rights Act 1968, Lieutenant William Calley Jr., Ho Chi Minh
Find out when African-Americans began to appear in significant ways on television shows (including advertisements).

OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Williams-Garcia, Rita, Jumped, 2009, ISBN 0060760915
Williams-Garcia, Rita, No Laughter Here, 2004, ISBN 0688162487
Williams-Garcia, Rita, Every Time a Rainbow Dies, 2001, ISBN 0064473031
Williams-Garcia, Rita, Catching the Wild Waiyuuzee. 2000, ISBN 068982601X
Williams-Garcia, Rita, Like Sisters on the Homefront. 1995, ISBN 0140385614