Brown Girl Dreaming

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Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir that is written in verse that tells the story of a young African American girl that is growing up in the Civil Rights movement. Jacqueline Woodson is moved from state to state as her mother tries to make a life for her family. She initially born in Ohio but due to excessive fights, Jacqueline's mother moves them from Ohio and down to South Carolina to live with her grandparents, separating the children from their father. The children then spend a large part of their early childhoods living with their grandparents as their mom searches for an job in New York. I think that parents becoming seperated is one of the more relatable issues that many teens unfortunately have to deal with. Through out the early part of the novel, Jacqueline and her siblings become very close with their grandparents, even to the point where they refer to their grandfather as "Daddy". I knew plenty of kids in high school that lived with their grandparents for various reasons, and when I tell people that I live with my grandmother they automatically assume the worst even if it's not the case. I think the theme of personal identity is a proment theme that many adolescents deal with. Throughout middle school and high school, people are developing new interest, hobbies, and personalities as they grow older and many of those can change depending on what their high school experience is like. For example, Rachel in Speak is changing everything about her lifestyle because she is extremely interested in foreign countries.

Brown Girl Dreaming is an interesting novel since it's a memoir written in verse, which is interesting as an example of adolescent literature because it is undoubtedly an accurate portrayal of the narrator. I think this is one of the more relatable novels that we've read in the class because while there are many unfortunate cases of issues like rape and suicide, is a divided family. I think this is an important book and would hopefully be able to teach this because it has a very strong message of become one's self. Through out the novel, Jacqueline has trouble reading and writing but doesn't stop improving so that she can one day become a writer. I think another important theme in the novel is the idea that just because your family doesn't fit the model of a nuclear family, doesn't mean that your family isn't as strong or important. I think this is father reinforced when Jacqueline's friend Maria invites her to witness the baptism of Maria's brother, and she is considered family. Through out the novel, Jacqueline is moved from state to state and is constantly separated from her mother, father, and her grandparents who see deeply loves. I find it very believable that Jacqueline is not accepting of her new baby brother and is rather jealous of him because she's used to being the baby. This novel resonates with me because it reminds me of my own family in quite a few ways, and I know as a teacher that there are going to be plenty of students that struggle with issues in their family and issues with deciding what their personality is. I think this is an important book to teach because it deals with many themes that are common in many teenager's lives but aren't something as serious as topics like drug abuse.


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