One Crazy Summer

Bibliography

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistad. ISBN 9780060760908

Plot Summary 

One Crazy Summer is set in Oakland, California during the tension-filled, late 1960’s. Three black sisters, ages 11, 9, and 7, fly from New York to California to meet the mother who left them. They are met with her apathy. Each day, she sends them to the Community Center to learn lessons taught by Black Panther members. They are taught to own their “blackness” and “inner power.” At first they resist, saying “We didn’t come for the revolution. We came for breakfast.” Plus, the eldest sees it as a dangerous road that could get her sisters into trouble, which always weighs heavily on her mind. They learn that their mother is a poet who prints posters for the Black Panthers. Eventually, they feel the “power to the people” and embrace their role. This acceptance helps bring them closer together with their estranged mother and find some resolution. 

Critical Analysis 

Williams-Garcia has created some vivacious characters who are believable and relatable. Common themes are sibling rivalry and protectiveness as Williams-Garcia weaves a story about a broken home, the lack of a mother figure and fitting in. In this book, “fitting in” and “blackness” are interconnected as the girls struggle to understand their cultural heritage. They experience tension amongst themselves and against the other kids who attend class with them.

The history is presented accurately. It opens with a strong sense of “us versus them,” as racial tensions rise in Oakland. It’s appropriate to the targeted age, with Williams-Garcia masterfully portraying a sense of constant police presence and monitoring by “the man,” without becoming overbearing or losing hope. Several times adults are arrested, and the children discuss the political situation. 

The setting is critical to the story, since descriptions of the hair styles, music and historical events move the plot forward. References to the the assassinations of John F. Kennedy (1963) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968), plus the rise of the Black Panthers (1966), underscore why the characters are experiencing cultural dissonance with the world around them. Since the Black Panther movement is central to the story of the girls, their mother, and the community center, more detail is given about the Black Panther movement, such as “little Bobby” being killed and the head of the Black Panthers being imprisoned. The colloquialisms and speech patterns which flavored the times, like peace,  soul sista’s and referring to police as pigs, further adds to the element of setting.

This book intrigued me because it speaks to the adage “there are two sides to every story.” One Crazy Summer shows the day-to-day functioning of the early Black Panthers, i.e., the side that fed the community and gave children a place to spend their summer. Often history books only portray the Black Panthers as the radical group they became, and not the community organization where they began. 

The author does not cite direct sources, but does cite her personal experience and reading literature from that time period. To improve the credibility of the information, citations need to be added to future printings.

Review Excerpts

This book is a:

  -  Newbery Honor Book

  -  Coretta Scott King Award

  -  Scott o’Dell Award

  -  National Book Award Finalist

School Library Journal

“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.”

Booklist

“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. Set during a pivotal moment in African American history, this vibrant novel shows the subtle ways that political movements affect personal lives; but just as memorable is the finely drawn, universal story of children reclaiming a reluctant parent’s love.”

Connections 

-  This is a ideal book to discuss the race riots of the 1960’s and 70‘s and the Black Panthers. For 
   example, were the Black Panthers a “radical group of zealots” or providing a community service?

-  Paired with current-event newspaper clippings about race in America, this book would serve as a 
   benchmark to compare past to present.  Kids will naturally want to discuss the past in order to think 
   about the present. 

-  This book could also be paired with a video about the political movements in Oakland, California, in 
   the 1960’s to explore the realities of racial tension at that time.