Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

 

  1. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

A: Bibliography

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014. BROWN GIRL DREAMING. London, UK: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780147515827. 


B: Plot Summary

This is the story of little Jacqueline Woodson as she grows up in a time when African Americans are not treated with equality or respect. Woodson takes the reader through her childhood, alternating between locations in the North and South. Along this journey of self-discovery, Woodson discovers the importance of staying true to yourself and your personal values and beliefs. 


C: Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers)

This was such an enjoyable read! It is definitely a book I will have to read again in the future. I enjoyed the point of view of the little girl, and found myself relating to her time and time again; despite the fact that she made it very clear that we have different ethnicities. Furthermore, both the main character and myself’s childhoods look very at different surface level, but if you were to dig deeper, I can relate to many aspects that Woodson expresses.


What makes this story truly remarkable is the fact that the main character of the story is actually the author as a young child; Jacqueline Woodson. Woodson tells the story of her childhood and what it was like growing up as an African American in the south. Uniquely, Woodson’s perspective alters between her experiences in the south versus her experiences in the north. The reader is able to see the differing of responses to Woodson and her family, based solely on the location she is currently living. 


Woodson writes this novel in a free verse format, that offers readers a unique perspective to her experiences. Among these unique experiences, Woodson is able to portray the racism and unequal opportunities that she experienced growing up, through the lens of an innocent child. The strong culture that Woodson and her family have instilled in themselves is apparent in nearly every thought and action, and even reaction, of this story. 


D: Review Excerpts

Kirkus Review: “For every dreaming girl (and boy) with a pencil in hand (or keyboard) and a story to share.”


School Library Journal: “To pick up Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is to pick up the world’s best example of precisely how to write a fictionalized memoir. Sharp when it needs to be sharp, funny when it needs to be funny, and a book that can relate to so many other works of children’s literature, Woodson takes her own life and lays it out in such a way that child readers will both relate to it and interpret it through the lens of history itself.”


Publisher’s Weekly: “Woodson’s ability to listen and glean meaning from what she hears lead to an astute understanding of her surroundings, friends, and family.”


E: Connections

Look for these other books for young people :


Acevedo, Elizabeth. THE POET X. ISBN: 0062662813.


Johnson, Leah. YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN. ISBN 133850326.


Reynolds, Jason. LONG WAY DOWN. ISBN 1481438263.





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