Realistic/Historical Fiction

The Watsons Go To Birmingham
Written By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Summary:

The Watsons Go To Birmingham is the story of an African American Family living in the 1960's. The main character, Kenny, tells the story of his families life in Flint Michigan. After his younger brother Byron gets into too much trouble, his family packs up the car and takes a trip down south to Birmingham, Alabama to visit their Grandmother so she can teach him how to behave.
The Watsons learn to slow down their fast paced, Northern lives, but also learn about the racial problems that are still occuring within the South. When a bomb is dropped on a local church in Birmingham and Kenny's sister, Joetta, is thought to be amoung one of the victims, things truly hit home and the problems become personal for the whole family.

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Application:

This is an excellent story when talking about the events of the 1960's, the Civil Rights, segregation, and the way things used to be in comparison to now. Students can truly get a feel for the problems of the time because the story is told with the focus of a ten year old boy. They can relate to his feelings, his struggles, his laughter. This story has a message that they can take home and comprehend.
Also, I think it would be a good idea to chart the travel of the Watsons along with the Watsons. This can be done using technology or using a map, but it would be a great connection to geography as the students read all of the states the Watsons travel through. This will also give them an idea as to how far the North is from the South.
Students may also need to have a discussion on the differences between the North and the South at the time and why such a drastic change in pace occured with travel.