The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

By Christopher Paul Curtis

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 tells the hilarious and entertaining story of the Watsons, an African-American family living in Flint, Michigan in the 1960's.  The book focuses on the year 1963, when the family decides to take a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to leave the oldest son, Byron, to be straightened out by Grandma Sands.  The story is told by ten-year-old Kenny, who is often a victim of thirteen-year-old Byron's mischievous behavior.  When the parent's feel that Byron's behavior needs some serious work, they pack Byron, Kenny, and their younger sister Joetta in the car and drive all the way to Birmingham.  As the story evolves, their ordinary family life is the focus; however, a tragic event in Birmingham forces Kenny and his family to face the unfair cruelty that abounds in the world.

Curtis primarily talks about the daily life of the Watsons, but the time and setting are certainly of great importance to the book.  He recreates the era of the 1960's so that the story flows naturally with the time and place where the events unfold.  The Watson family is extremely believable, and readers can relate to all of the family members in one way or another.  As the story unfolds, the actions of the characters flow naturally for each, and certainly befit the setting of the story.  The theme of the book authentically reflects the different attitudes and behaviors towards African-Americans in the North and the South during the time period, yet the attitudes and feelings experienced by the family are relevant to those experienced by families today.  Young readers can easily relate to the feelings and experiences of the young protagonist, who talks about them candidly and naturally throughout the book.

This is a fascinating book that delivers a powerful message about family and adjusting to the events that take place around you.  Kenny, the narrator of the book, faces a great deal of common events as well as a shocking, tragic event.  His responses and reactions to all of these events show readers how his character develops and grows.  Readers of this book are easily transported to a different time and place without too great an emphasis on the details of a totally different historical era.