One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

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One Crazy Summer

Bibliography

Williams-Garcia, Rita. One crazy summer. New York: Amistad, 2012. Print. ISBN 0060760885

Plot Summary

Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are on their way to Oakland, California to meet their mother. Delphine feels like it is her responsibility to take care of her sisters. When the plane lands a stewardess is assigned to watch over the girls. Delphine spots her mother Cecile in the crowd pacing back and forth as if deciding whether to leave them there or not. Cecile leads them to her home a green stucco house. Delphine is surprised for the stories she had heard about her mother made her seem like she would never amount to anything. Cecile is not your typical mother and she makes it clear that this visit was not her idea. She does not cook for them or take them on outings, but instead sends them to a summer camp center supported by the Black Panthers and orders them to go get take out for dinner. The girls are not allowed to be at the house during the day and cannot enter the kitchen for no reason. It is until Delphine commands Cecile to let her cook for her sisters for they are getting sick with so much takeout food. Delphine learns how Cecile supports that Black Panthers and has her small printing press in her kitchen. Delphine and her sisters learn a lot while visiting their mother about what was occurring politically during this time. Their mother is wrongfully arrested and then released a few days later. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern at the end get closure with their mother.

Critical Analysis

Williams-Garcia book One Crazy Summer tells a story of how life was like for three African American girls during the 1960s. The story encompasses a time in which the Black Panther Party was gaining momentum. This story shows how the African American community were beginning to use their voice and their culture during this time. Their beliefs and values are written within the text. This tale starts with the three sisters traveling to Oakland, California to visit their estranged mother. Delphine the oldest of the girls and takes it upon herself to always care for her sisters. Delphine is the main character and has had to put a lot on her shoulders due to her mother abandoning them when they were very small. The emotions and frustrations experienced by Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are so relevant to how many children feel with their parental relationships nowadays.

The book integrates true-life events that occurred during this time as well as important historical individuals such as Malcolm X, Huey Newton, and Muhammad Ali. This African American literature is great for it provides a glimpse as to how minorities were treated. For instance, the girls early in the story discover that her mother known an Nzila helps the Black Panthers with her poems and printing material. The girls are sent to center that is run by the Black Panthers. They help in making posters and organizing the Black Panther newspaper. The names within the text are not very common. Williams Garcia addresses how her fictional book was derived from true events from ladies she had heard stories from and historical readings from the Black Panthers. The book contains slang language used by African Americans during this time. Poetry was a major part in expressing themselves as well. When reading the story there was not much mention to the characters color besides that they were black.

Review Excerpts

  • Review in GOODREADS: “In a humorous and breakout book by Williams-Garcia, the Penderwicks meet the Black Panthers.”
  • Review in KIRKUS: “The depiction of the time is well done, and 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.”
  • Newbery Honor (2011)
  • Scott O'Dell Award (2011)
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2012)
  • Coretta Scott King Award for Author (2011)
  • Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010)
  • The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2011)
  • National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2010)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee (2010)

Connections

This story could be used in not just a reading class, but history as well. The book can be tied in with the civil rights movement, Black Panther Party, or even to discuss important African American figures. Other books with similar to this:
Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. ISBN 0399252517
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone. ISBN 0385734913


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