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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

One Crazy Summer


Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One Crazy Summer. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

LS5360: Coretta Scott King.  This one was new to me and I borrowed it from a friend with younger kids. Good, insightful, historically referenced book with GREAT characters.

Exposition: Set in Brooklyn, in the summer of 1968, the bulk of the story takes place in Oakland, CA and is told by main character, Delphine, with the story centering on Delphine and her sisters’ (Violetta and Fern) trip to visit their mother.

Conflict: The girls arrive in California and their mother, Cecile, wants nothing to do with them.

Rising Action:  The girls are left to fend for themselves and also  sent to Black Panther camp, where they learn a great deal about the Black Panther movement.

Climax: The girls’ mother is arrested and the girls really have to fend for themselves until some neighbors help out.

Falling Action: The girls end-up going to a Black Panther rally and reciting their mom’s poetry, and Cecile praises them for a job well done.

Resolution:  The one thing that the girls have wanted – affection from their mother – is given as they board the plane to go home, and they realize she’s not a bad person.

Literary Elements:   Characterization is strong (the three girls are each unique and rich), and the style in which it is written and woven into actual historical events is powerful.

9 comments:

  1. this helped me alot

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  2. Where is the solution😠😠😠😠😠😣😣😣😣😣😣😣😣

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    1. The REsolution is above, as part of the plot diagram. I'm not sure what solution you are looking for, but happy to help if you give me more info.

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    2. I read this one back in College when were were force fed all those ya and children's books. It was an interesting look at the way some people, like the Black Panthers, live and adjust to the life that they are living. Delphine is by far more level-headed than her mother. She sees things from a being careful perspective for her sisters. She wants to garner love and affection from their mother but is unsure how to get there. Her one thought is to make her mother see her for what she is, a young girl, not a grown person who is left in charge of her younger siblings.
      I felt that the solution for Delphine was to get involved in her mother's life therefore making mother see for herself their worth to her. Love is a very unsure emotion in this case, but it did work for them.

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    3. Agreed on all points, and well written analysis! Thanks for posting, Anonymous. :-)

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  3. what is the turning point on chapter 16

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    1. It has been over six years since I read the book, so I can't remember anything that specific. I'd say the arrest was the turning point of the story, but no idea in what chapter that occurred.

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  4. this helps me a lot

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