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A review by jdintr
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
4.0
I went into this book expecting a straightforward civil rights story, but Watsons is so much more than that.
It's a family drama, set primarily in Flint, Michigan. The primary conflict is side of the Watson's eldest boy, Byron, into delinquency--skipping school, lighting matches, bullying. It's handled with a light touch through the eyes of the middle child, Kenny.
When the Watsons do go to Birmingham, there are shades of the 1960s. The father insists on driving through the night, and the family seems scared in the more remote, "redneck" parts of Tennessee. In Birmingham, the family's visit coincides with the bombing of the 14th Street Baptist Church, and the effects of that attack linger into the final chapter.
Christopher Paul Curtis has written an honest book here--not a preachy one. I recommend this book for middle school students (and their parents). It is a warm, funny look at an American family and a thoughtful insight into an crucial era in American history.
It's a family drama, set primarily in Flint, Michigan. The primary conflict is side of the Watson's eldest boy, Byron, into delinquency--skipping school, lighting matches, bullying. It's handled with a light touch through the eyes of the middle child, Kenny.
When the Watsons do go to Birmingham, there are shades of the 1960s. The father insists on driving through the night, and the family seems scared in the more remote, "redneck" parts of Tennessee. In Birmingham, the family's visit coincides with the bombing of the 14th Street Baptist Church, and the effects of that attack linger into the final chapter.
Christopher Paul Curtis has written an honest book here--not a preachy one. I recommend this book for middle school students (and their parents). It is a warm, funny look at an American family and a thoughtful insight into an crucial era in American history.