The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. NY: Delacorte.

About the Book

The Watsons family lives in Flint, Michigan in 1963. They are an African American family with roots from the deep south in Birmingham, Alabama.  The eldest son Byron is becoming a juvenile delinquent no matter what his parents try as discipline. Kenny is the middle child who has struggles with his physical appearance. Joey is the youngest and is a girl who is very emotional, with great sympathy for her brothers. The parents decide to drive Byron to Birmingham with the family to leave him with Grandma Sands to straighten him out. While in Birmingham the Watsons experiences the violence that happened during the civil rights movement. 

Historical Fiction Evaluative Review

Kenneth is the middle child in the Watsons family. He has an older brother named Byron who is a juvenile delinquent and a younger sister named Joey. They are a “Negro” family who lives in Flint, Michigan in 1963. Kenny is telling the story about his family’s relationships and struggles. Byron is struggling to make good choices and does not listen to his parents many warnings to straighten up. The family struggles with raising respectable children is familiar to families of today.  Momma and Dad decide to drive the family down to Birmingham where Momma’s family lives. Grandma Sands is going to straighten Byron out. The family drives to Birmingham in their family car the Brown Bomber, enjoying classic music on their brand new record player that Dad had installed in the car for the long trip. Once they get to Birmingham Kenny struggles to make good choices and Byron appears to be a model citizen. Readers will be able to experience the horrors of the violence during the civil rights movement; when the family fears the worst when Joey is caught in a Church bombing. The Watsons children struggled to understand the racial hatred they observed while down south, which allows the reader a glimpse into the past. In the end Byron helps Kenny deal with his emotions following their experience in Birmingham.