ONE CRAZY SUMMER

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-060076089-2

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In Oakland, California in 1968 Delphine and her two younger sisters embark on a journey to meet and rekindle a relationship with the mother that abandoned them and still doesn’t want them. Who else has a mother that won’t let you in the kitchen, cook you a meal, tuck you into bed or let you stay in the house during the day? Well, that is the kind of mother that Delphine and her sisters have and she is one crazy mother. Not only is she crazy, but her friends in the Black Panthers are also crazy with their black power and rights demonstrations. Through a series of strange events and experiences Delphine and her sisters grow together with each other and by the end of their visit they even make a connection with their crazy mother.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author shares the unique up close experience of a young girl who finds herself at the epicenter for black rights in her mother’s neighborhood. The main character struggles to accept her mother and take care of her younger siblings all while slowly growing and accepting the message of The Black Panthers in the community. This book is about personal growth, acceptance, and learning that life outside of your comfort zone is extremely challenging, but rewarding. Williams-Garcia demonstrates the race struggles of the time through commentary between the different characters in the story. This story is a creative way to express the history of racism and the work that The Black Panthers did to help build up black communities and fight the man even though these activities were not always the best and often led to violence and arrests.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Review: “It's the summer after Black Panther founder Huey Newton was jailed and member Bobby Hutton was gunned down trying to surrender to the Oakland police, and there are men in berets shouting "Black Power" on the news.”

BOOKLIST Review:  ““No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you out here making a mess, stopping my work.” Like the rest of her life, Cecile’s work is a mystery conducted behind the doors of the kitchen that she forbids her daughters to enter.”

5. CONNECTIONS  

*This is a book that should prompt discussion about the role of The Black Panthers, racism, and even questions about single parent homes.

*Other similar books

Hoose, Philip. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. ISBN 0312661053

Haskins, Jim. POWER TO THE PEOPLE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY. ISBN 978-0689800856