Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is one of the 2015 Newbery Honor books. It is a memoir/autobiography--the true story of Jacqueline's childhood. It follows Jacqueline and her family in Ohio, then South Carolina, then New York during the 60s and 70s. The book shares her relationships with family members, what it was like to grow up during the Civil Rights era, and how she found she wanted to be a writer.

This book was written in verse and was beautifully written. (I debated calling this a "loved it," but I don't know if it quite made it there--but I really, really liked the book.) It was so interesting to follow Jacqueline's life, and having the story in verse made it even more vivid and compelling. I especially loved the chapter "The Selfish Giant" partway through where Jacqueline shares with her class a story she memorized. Her classmates are all amazed she could do that, and she doesn't know how to explain--"How can I explain to anyone that stories are like air to me,/ I breathe them in and let them out/ over and over again." Then her teacher compliments her as well, and Jacqueline says, "And I know now/...Words are my brilliance." Earlier in the book, Jacqueline compared herself to her siblings and wasn't as good as them in certain things--but here she found that she had her own gift. I just loved that since she grew up to be an incredible author who has won the Newbery honor with 4 different books.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)