1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Garcia,
Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York: Amistsad. ISBN 0060760907
2. PLOT SUMMARY
It is the
1960s and summertime when eleven year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters,
Vonetta and Fern, are taking a trip from their Brooklyn home with their “Pa”
and “Big Ma” (grandmother) to Oakland, California to see their mother, Cecile, who
left them when they were very young. This
is their first encounter with Cecile since she left, and she is nothing like
what the girls feel a “real” mother should be like. She is crazy, negligent, bothered by their
presence: “No one told y’all to come out here,” Cecile says. “No one wants you
out here making a mess, stopping my work.” She calls herself Nzilla and writes
poetry and prints all day long, which is why the girls are not allowed in her
kitchen. During the girls’ month long
stay in Oakland, they encounter the Black Panthers group, and experience
something much different than the Disneyland memories they were hoping for. It
is the summer after Huey Newton was jailed and young Bobby Hutton was killed at
the hands of the Oakland police. Even
though Delphine and her sisters are sent to the group just to get free breakfast
in the morning and “summer camp” all day so that their mother will not have to
deal with them, they ultimately learn a lot about “the revolution” and a little
about their mother, too.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The
characters in the book are real and honest, and are represented well. Delphine and her sisters respond to the
unusual, stressful situation of meeting a mother who does not seem to care a
bit for them with grace, strength, and dignity.
These qualities draw a likeability and respect and enable the reader to
relate to the girls even though their attitudes and experiences are from a
different time. Cecile is not a good
mother, but by the end of the book, when Delphine gets a peek into her past,
there is a greater understanding of why she is who she is. The history is well told, without any
unnecessary gloss, through Delphine’s eyes as she narrates her experiences with
the events of the past from her young, yet “plain” perspective. The 1960s-Oakland-Black
Panther-Revolution setting is not merely a backdrop to the story; it shares the
stage with the characters in perfect harmony. The themes of love, family, and race relations
take a primary role while the more subtle themes of responsibility, loyalty, and
forgiveness can be found as well. The
morals of the time are well reflected in both the primary and secondary characters,
but there are countless parallels relevant to today’s generation. One
Crazy Summer is authentically written through Delphine’s voice and exposes
more of the truth of the times than the media of the past revealed. This book is a perfect blend of history and
story, and one that will engage, educate, and entertain all at once.
Awards:
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus Starred
Review: “Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an
expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the
difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told
with writing that snaps off the page.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Read No Laughter Here, another book by Rita Williams-Garcia. I have not read this book, but in
researching it, I feel I must.
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