The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 is a great book written by Chirstopher Paul Curtis is a historical fiction novel about a boy named Kenny and his adventures at school and driving to Alabama. Kenny lives in Flint, Michigan, a place so cold his mother calls it an icebox. Kenny has a sister named Joey and a teenage brother named Byron who has been retained twice. The first part of the book narrates the problems in Kenny's life, including bullies at school and his obnoxious brother, Byron. He gets picked on often, and is usually the target. Part 2 narrates the family’s adventure driving down to Brimingham, Alabama from Michigan to visit Grandma Sands and maybe send Byron to live with her for a while. The trip goes almost as planned, if you don’t count Byron behaving respectfully, Kenny almost drowning, and the church that Joetta goes to for Sunday school getting bombed by racists. Kenny cannot handle the bizarre turn of events and only returns to his normal self after his brother Byron talks to him. Curtis really wrote a book about family, segregation, and racial justice in a compelling novel.
History repeats itself. Always. An sometimes, it can include cruel things, like racial injustice. If we don’t learn from past mistakes, there is no telling if we will face a catastrophe. The history of the background of the book is really important. It is set in 1963, one year before the 1964 civil rights movement and smack in the middle of the overall civil rights movement for racial justice. At that time, the Jim Crow laws made it so that African Americans and colored people (living in the south U.S.) could not get the privileges that white people got. They were treated worse and had to use “colored only” amenities. At that time, there were some white people who opposed the civil rights movement, but with violence, not words. This might have resulted in the bombing of Joetta’s church. Thankfully, now, African Americans are treated much better, and there are no “colored only amenities now. For example, African AMericans are now allowed to vote and do things witht he same privileges as others. Sometimes, people don’t realize what they have done until it is too late. Mistakes help us learn, but if you don’t learn, then it’s too bad, you’ll have to repeat your mistakes again and again.
Family will always be there, whether you choose it to be there or not. Some things are inevitable. An example is family. In the book, there are many examples of family love and family issues. The Watsons support each other a lot throughout the entire book. When their family decided to send Byron to live with Grandma Sands for a while, they could have sent him alone. But no. They all went to accompany him along the way. Another example is that Byron helps stand up for Kenny against Larry Dunn. Even though Byron’s way was pretty violent, he still stood up for his brother. Family issues are also a problem in this book. Byron and his buddy, Buphead, are both classified as juvenile delinquents in the book. Byron has gotten retained in school twice, bullies other kids, breaks many rules many times, likes to play with fire, and even disobeys his parents. He has many problems, as well as not wanting anyone to touch him and tries to “be cool” and be a typical teenager with typical problems. Family is not something you want to abandon easily. You don’t realize it, but your family is actually part of you.
Friendship can be the key to happiness, compassion, and trust. Having a friend is better than you think. That is, if you find one that fits you. Kenny and Rufus are the displays of friendship throughout this book. When Rufus first arrives with his brother, Cody, Rufus and Cody are main targets to pick on, coming from a family with not much family and not enough clothes to wear. Kenny quickly becomes friends with Rufus until one day when Kenny accidentally laughs at Rufus. Kenny is mortified, but Rufus is just sad. Kenny is really guilty and goes to apologize, when Rugus forgives him and they later start playing again. Kenny and Rufus show trust and respect to each other throughout the book, respecting each other’s backgrounds and staying reliable for each other. Kenny and Rufus are really fond of each other, and help each other in time of need, showing the respect of true friends. Friendship is a tool stronger than you think. Don’t forget it. Kenny and Rufus are examples of a friendship that is firm and trustful, a one that is reliable. A friend is always better than a foe.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 is a really great novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis about a family traveling from Michigan to Alabama in the year 1963, during the Civil Rights Movement that was happening in the South at the time. The family faces many problems along the way, especially Kenny, who already has problems at school. From bullying, to throwing apples, to abusing privileges, The novel really shares many funny plots and themes. The Civil Rights Movement is an important part of the story, as it is the story’s setting and themes come from it, like the bombing of Joetta’s church or the racial injustice in Alabama. While it is a children's novel, the themes of discrimination, segregation, and prejudice are still prominent. The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, a real historical event that took place on September 15th, 1963, is a major event in this book. Christopher Paul Curtis really spins a novel full of family, friendship, and racial injustice.
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