One Crazy Summer (Rita Williams-Garcia)

Garcia, Rita. One crazy summer. New York: Amistad, 2010.

Summary
The adventure filled summer of 1968 begins with Delphine and her sisters flying out to Oakland to reunite with their estranged mother whom had abandoned them seven years earlier. However, soon after their arrival, Delphine is quick to realize that her “crazy” mother is not happy about their arrival. Delphine must feed and care for her younger sisters and end up spending their days at a children’s camp put on by the Black Panthers. Against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, the girls discover what it means to make revolutionary change and in the process come to know their mother.

Critical Analysis
     One Crazy Summer is rooted in the strong, relatable characters. Delphine is the oldest sister and a natural caregiver. Vonetta, the middle child, is attention seeking and needy. The youngest sister, Fern is both insecure and wildly insightful. The aloof and eccentric mother Cecile is cold towards her daughters. As the story progresses, however, both Delphine and the reader will come to understand and accept her mother.
    Williams-Garcia weaves a compelling story of children just looking to survive the summer with a mother who wishes she had “gone to Mexico to get rid of [them] when [she] had the chance” (26). Delphine and the girls leave their mother alone to create poetry while they are taken in by the Youth Center run by the Black Panthers. The racial tensions affect every aspect of the girls’ life that summer as is shown vividly when the their mother is arrested with two Black Panther members.  Delphine grows into herself as she is able to acknowledge her own history, both as an African American and as a girl who will never have the mother she dreams of. These emotions are expressed when together the three sisters recite a poem written by their mother, “Black oceans separate us, tortured cries... hear the reverberation, of a stolen black nation, forever lost.”  Williams-Garcia has written a gripping story that takes place in a time period that allows the reader to understand how children can positively impact history by working towards social justice and equality.

Awards and Review Excerpts
ALA Notable Book
Booklist Editor’s Choice
National Book Award Finalist
Newbery Honor Book
Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Booklist- “this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives”
Publisher’s Weekly- “poetic language that will stimulate and move readers”
School Library Journal- “With memorable characters... and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.”

Connections
Reference famous African Americans as you read the book.
Altman, Susan. Extraordinary African-Americans. New York: Children's Press, 2001. ISBN 0516259628

Read nonfiction accounts of the civil rights movement from the viewpoint of children involved.
McWhorter, Diane. A dream of freedom : the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968. New York: Scholastic, 2004. ISBN 0439576784

Read poetry by renowned African American Poets.
Angelou, Maya. Maya Angelou. New York: Sterling, 2007.ISBN 1402720238
Brooks, Gwendolyn. Bronzeville boys and girls. New York: Amistad/HarperCollinsPublishers, 2007. ISBN 0060295058
Hughes, Langston. Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Pub, 2006. ISBN 1402718454