Kenny wakes up as they pull into the rest stop off I-75. There’s not much here, but he’s hungry and needs to relieve himself, so he gets out. Daddy is driving them to Birmingham to see Momma’s family. Kenny’s older brother Byron has gotten into trouble and they are leaving him in Birmingham with Momma’s family. The kids look around for the bathroom, but all they find is an outhouse with a stench you could smell a mile away. This is just the first sign of how different Birmingham will be than their native Flint, Michigan, and how much the family will change when The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963.
Christopher Paul Curtis provides a poignant glimpse into the lives of black citizens in the 1960’s in his debut novel The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963. Contextualizing the events and circumstances my generation has only heard about, Curtis paints a realistic and sickening scene of the challenges faced by so many in the south. This novel is about overcoming hate and violence and about the power of family. The challenges faced by Kenny and his siblings in the book are still very relevant in today’s America – Curtis’ writing serve as a reminder that hate is nothing new…and does not disappear.
I give The Watsons go to Birmingham 5 out of 5 stars. If you’ve watched the Wonder Years reboot staring EJ Williams and Dulé Hill, this book will feel familiar – set in Montgomery, Alabama, later in the 1960’s, it has the same characteristics to the novel such as trying to raise children amidst racial injustice and activism. I also found myself picturing Williams and Hill as Kenny and Daddy respectively throughout the reading. I connected well with Momma and the planning she does before the trip to provide for and protect her family along the way. I also connected with Kenny’s character, especially in the aftermath of the bombing later in the novel. With that said, this isn’t a book for everyone.
With discussions of violence, hatred, the bombing, and other racial injustices, I would caution readers, especially parents, to consider the triggers before reading this book. To be quite honest, the bombing scene was difficult for me to read as a parent and took me a bit to recover from – I don’t do well with stories where children are harmed. However, I think this is necessary reading for anyone living in America, especially the south. And especially for people like me – white citizens who have not faced the hardships and discrimination white supremacy and bigotry have created in our society.
I chose The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963 for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “Civil Rights Movement”. While the first half of the book is set in Flint and does not seem to be part of the Civil Rights fights that are well known, there is an element of the movement there when the parents are doing everything they can to raise their children outside the negative influences and gangs there. This book does fictionalize a very real event – the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. The Civil Rights Museum in Atlanta has an installation about the bombing that includes stained glass windows with the likenesses of the four little girls killed in the bombing. About 7 years ago, we took my daughter to the museum. She was 12 at the time and I will never forget trying to explain to her who these girls are, their legacy, and why two white men committed such a heinous act of violence.
I feel fortunate to have lived, studied, and worked the City of Atlanta where Civil Rights history is literally on every corner. I have been present for the funeral processions of some of our great leaders, I have listened to lectures by others, and I have walked the sidewalks outside some of the most important historical sites in the city. If you are looking to learn more about the events and situations captured in this book, or more about the people who worked so hard to bring equality to an unjust situation, visit The Civil Rights Museum website for their interactive tour and information.
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Murder in Tolland, David M Hamlin
- Current audio book: Woman of Light, Kali Fajardo-Anstine
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
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