One Crazy Summer, set in 1968, follows the story of 3 sisters; Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern. 11 year old Delphine adopted the role of mother to her 2 younger sisters when their mother abandoned them many years ago. One summer the 3 sisters are invited to travel from Brooklyn, where they live, to California to spend time with their mother. Unfortunately, upon their arrival they are only met with hostility. Instead of living their dreams at Disneyland, their mother sentences them to a local community centre summer camp run by the Black Panthers. The 3 sisters explore their identity as Black children in America and learn more about the society they live in. In a society of segregation, police inequality, and discrimination, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern spend their summer learning more about themselves and the world around them.
Although recommended for students within the ages of 9-12, the themes and conversations that could stem from this book could be read with older ages. This book tackles the issue of racism in society and the fight for Black rights in American history. We see the consequences of police brutality and segregation, especially in the living conditions, treatment, and education of Black children and adults. We also see the pressures young Black children face to act a certain way in order to portray their race as “good.”
This is a quote from the book for you to get a taste of the setting and time the book is set in:
“Big Ma had grabbed them by the first scruff of fabric she could get ahold of, bent down, and told them to ‘act right.’ There weren’t too many of ‘us’ in the waiting area, and too many of ‘them’ were staring. I’d taken a quick count out of habit. Vonetta, Fern, and I were the only Negro children.”
Stephanie Cheng JI132
Thanks for your book review! I have not heard of this book before but based off of your short synopsis I will be adding it to my reading list. I get the impression that this book is good for presenting real issues that are still present today. I can see many ways in which this text could be incorporated in the classroom especially when discussing topics such as The Black Panthers and police brutality in both America and Canada.
Thank you for the synopsis. I also have not read this book and have added it to my list. I wonder if it is written from Delphine’s point of view. I wrote my review on ‘The Hate You Give – by Angie Thomas’ and it also deals with some similar topics; police brutality, living conditions, treatment of black teens. The Hate you Give was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement so I’m interest to see how the three sisters navigate the summer camp run by the Black Panthers and learn about their identities and society in which they live.
Thank you for this book review! The quote at the end is powerful and shows that “us” versus “them” groupings that are so often ignored despite their isolating and polarizing effects on kids. I’d love to read this book to get a better understanding of the Black experience in North America, as well as take a dip into more difficult topics that need to be discussed in the society we live in – police brutality, racism, and segregation.
As a person of colour, I relate to the experience of entering a space and counting how many people look like you, compared to the majority of people that look so homogenously different.