Brown Girl Dreaming is Available at Amazon.com and where books are sold.
The School of English Studies often promotes excellent literature, and I am pleased to share this Fall’s recommendation, Brown Girl Dreaming. Brown Girl Dreaming was published in 2014 and was well-received, earning Jacqueline Woodson the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Young Adult Fiction. Thus, when a young adult poetic work is mentioned, I cannot resist suggesting Jacqueline’s award-winning piece because it is a great Autumn read for young adults and adults alike.
I read this incredible poetic tale during my English elective course in Children’s Literature at Kean University. The story is also a fantastic autobiography (a memoir) in free verse about Jacqueline, a Black writer who grew up between Ohio, South Carolina, and New York in the 1960s and 1970s. We begin with where she is born, a small piece that I was elated to summarize for the class assignment.
Part I: I am born
Jacqueline was born on February 12, 1963, in Columbus, Ohio. The 1960s were the height of the Civil Rights Movement. She describes the United States at the time she was born as “caught/ between Black and White” (1) and the South as “explodes…people/ who look like me/ keep fighting/ and marching/ and getting killed” (2) Even though she was born in the North—connected to the South and to the history of her great-great-grandparents who were enslaved.
Jacqueline continues to describe the state of the Civil Rights Movement when she was born. The word “Negro” (3) is used for Jacqueline, her mother, and her father on Jacqueline’s birth certificate. Jacqueline’s father, Jack, wanted her to be called Jack and said it would make her strong. Jacqueline’s mother and aunts disagree with Jack’s name because they think it does not fit a girl. But they did agree on the name Jackie, which is short for Jacqueline. Incredible! Jacqueline’s father’s ancestor is Thomas Woodson, the notable first son of President Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemmings. The Woodsons’ lived in Nelsonville, Ohio, near the state capital of Columbus. Furthermore, the Woodson side of the family is very proud of their heritage and their family’s prestigious jobs.
Jacqueline informs the reader that there were once many children in the house, including her father. She describes the pictures in the place, which show her grandmother Grace and grandfather Hope. Jacqueline also sees herself in the features of her family members.
Her great-great-grandfather was born in 1832 in Ohio, a free man on her father’s side. He was a farmer and a coal miner, then fought in the Civil War. Jacqueline says he is “living still” (13) because his name appears on the Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Jacqueline’s mother also tells Jacqueline and her siblings when they are scared by being the only Black person in a room. Think of William Woodson.
Jacqueline’s grandmother recounts the day that she was born. Grandma Georgiana remembers the sound of birds squawking, the phone ringing, and Jacqueline’s mom saying it was another girl. While Grandma Georgiana remembers this event in the morning, Jacqueline’s mother recalls her being born in the late afternoon. She adds that she took a bus to the hospital since her father, Jack, had been at work, and he did not make it in time to see Jacqueline be born. And Jacqueline’s father thinks that she was born at night. He says he immediately thought she looked like him when he saw her. Who to believe?
When baby Jacqueline arrived home from the hospital, her three-year-old brother Hope told their parents to return her. Too cute and funny! Jacqueline’s brother cannot go back. All the things Jacqueline experienced in her young mind, “each laugh, tear and lullaby” (20), become encoded in her memory. Everlasting sounds. Six months before Jacqueline’s older sister was born, her Uncle Odell was hit by a car and died. Mary Ann, Jacqueline’s mother, finds out from Grandmother Georgiana and experiences great pain from his death. The good news is that Jacqueline’s older sister was born in 1961 and is named Odella Caroline.
Each winter, as “the first of the snow begins to fall” (27), Jacqueline’s mother mostly goes to South Carolina with her father, but her father does not like the South. Not long after, they arrive safely at Jacqueline’s grandparents’ house in South Carolina. Her grandparents say, “Welcome home” (32). Everyone hugs them, and Jacqueline feels in the middle of so much love.
That concludes the end of this summary, Part I: I am born and happy reading with a special note from the Author (see below). Books are available at Amazon.com and where books are sold.
Thanks to all who participated in our Harvest Haikus and Party!, and the collaboration event, Poetry & Movement Workshop with Chioma Urama! Hot Chocolate Bar was served, and the events would not have been a great success without you! 🍂 And stay tuned for my next Blog Post featuring the Harvest Haiku and Party.
To learn more about how to apply to the School of English Studies and remain in constant contact, email english@kean.edu and connect with us on social media at https://www.facebook.com/KeanEnglish, https://twitter.com/KeanEnglish, https://www.instagram.com/keanenglish/, and we hope to see again and invite a friend!. . . 😊
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