The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

     The Newbery Honor book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, is the historical fiction story of the Watson family (Momma, Dad, Byron, Kenny, and Joetta) in Flint, Michigan in 1963, as told through the humorous voice of a young Kenny.  Readers learn all about the Watson family quirks and adventures through Kenny's stories of his parents' senses of humor and discipline, as well as through descriptions of Kenny's own experiences of being bullied as the "poindexter" of the school.  When Kenny's older brother, Byron, starts doing too many "delinquent" acts, the parents decide to send Byron to live with the strict Grandma Sands in order to shape up.  Through this decision, the Watsons embark on a family road trip in the Brown Bomber (the family car) down to Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama.  Once there, a life-shattering event occurs that changes the family's perspectives and lives forever.

     Throughout this story, the focus remains on the characterization of each member of the "Weird Watsons," as Kenny likes to call his family.  While many issues, such as racism, are present within the text, this familial focus highlights the similarity of the human experience, and allows readers to relate to the family.  Each member of the family carries different experiences and personality; however, they all come together across crazy experiences and obstacles through the laughter that resonates throughout the story.  One of the main strengths of this book as a work of historical fiction is that it was not created to solely focus on civil rights issues or race relations of the time.  By crafting the story through Kenny's humorous perspective, Curtis weaves these issues into the context of the story (especially in the tragic event in Birmingham at the end of the book) without trying to be overtly present as a civil rights lesson. This strategy allows the readers to feel more emotionally connected with the characters and the story, as if they are experiencing the shocking, historical tragedy along with the characters.

     In addition to family, another major theme in the book is growing up.  Both Kenny and Byron experience various changes over time, both physically, through the humorous excitement over the appearance of facial hair, and emotionally.  For example, Byron's character moves from being a "delinquent" bully and Daddy Cool "god" of Clark elementary school (p. 20) to the caretaker of his little brother through dark times after their experiences in Birmingham at the end of the novel.  This transition is something all readers can relate to through the coming of age experiences, and is an example of the attention that Curtis gives to the development of each character within the story.

     The climax of the story and connection to the Civil Rights Movement is visible through the devastating church bombing that occurred on September 15, 1963.  This scene is particularly terrifying for the Watson family, as Joey is believed to be in the church at the time of the bombing.  Through Kenny's perspective, readers are taken through the whirlwind experiences of shock and numbness that he experiences, causing him to lose himself.  Even as the family heads back home to Michigan, Kenny remains lost as he searches for "quiet and dark and still" places to heal himself (p. 193).  Kenny's reaction to the bombing allows readers to feel the strong impact of racial violence.  At the back of the book, Curtis inserted a powerful Epilogue to discuss the historical events surrounding the story and comment on the historical accuracy of various elements of the book, including the connection to the real Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church bombing (p. 209).

     As far as reading this book, I would recommend this for students in early middle school years (6th grade and above), because I think readers must be given the chance to build up historical background information in order to fully comprehend the text.  The use of slang/Southern dialect (ex: the whole "Wool Pooh" incident) and Kenny's personality add humor to the story, making the story enjoyable and relatable to readers.  By involving this book in a larger unit studying the history of the 1960s in America and the Civil Rights Movement within the classroom, readers can make connections with historical events surrounding the story, and even begin to apply concepts to their own present lives.  A greater understanding of the story's context will allow readers to feel connected to the time period through the lives of these fictional characters, while also drawing parallels to readers' lives and society today.