ONE CRAZY SUMMER

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita 2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0-06-076088-5

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Set in 1968 America, three young, African-American sisters journey across the country to meet their mother, Cecile. Living in Brooklyn with their father, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern know little of who she is or why she left, except what Big Ma tells them. And Big Ma’s not fond of their mother! But is their mother really all those terrible things? When they arrive in Oakland, California, Cecile sends them to the Black Panther summer camp. Here, the girls learn about not only their mother, but themselves. In the end, this is not a story of abandoned children, but of understanding, love and embracing the culture of your family.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Upper elementary and middle school students, especially African-American girls, will identify with these young characters, especially Delphine, the narrator of the story. She is spunky, yet filled with a sense of responsibility toward her sisters. Since the reader continually hears her thoughts, Delphine brings them into her world, with all of its angst and questions. 

The historical backdrop is the United States in 1968. Williams-Garcia shines in her contrast of attitudes across the country. The girls are raised on the East Coast by their father and his mother, Big Ma, who have conservative views and expectations: they want the girls to blend-in with the predominant white culture of the era. 

“I did as Big Ma had told me in our many 

talks on how to act around white people.” Page 16

But their mother, Cecile, lives in California, which seems far away and full of political controversy. When they arrive to visit their mother, the girls initially view everything through the lens of their father and Big Ma. But as they get to know their mother, and are welcomed into the Black Panther community of her neighborhood, Williams-Garcia masterfully shifts their understanding with suspenseful plot points, like the arrest of Cecile for the “crime” of poetry and printing. 

“Why had the police arrested Cecile? She wrote 
Send us back to Africa poems and Movable Type poems. 
She didn’t write Off the Pig poems and Kill Whitey poems, 
that is if writing poems were a crime.” Page 169

By the end, the girls begin to understand that standing up and speaking out is sometimes necessary, which perfectly reflects 1960’s America. And by doing so, Williams-Garcia develops a new identity for her characters--one which also reflects their mother and the African American spirit of the times.

In the Acknowledgments at the end, Williams-Garcia shares her inspiration for the story and cites David Hilliard’s THE BLACK PANTHER INTERCOMMUNAL NEWS SERVICE as a major source for her research. This lends credibility to the voices of the story. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

KIRKUS REVIEW: “The depiction of the time is well done, and 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.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The whole reason this novel works is because author Rita Williams-Garcia has a fantastic story that also happens to meld seamlessly into the summer of 1968.”

5. CONNECTIONS 

*Poetry is a theme throughout this book. Have students write poetry about a contemporary politicial issue relating to a struggle in your community.

*Read and recite poetry from the Civil Rights Era and then contrast it to present-day political poetry.

*Discuss how the older sister, Delphine, would react to common school situations of today.

*Coretta Scott King Award Winner

*Newbery Honor Book

*Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction