Not only is this book a Newbery Honor Book, but it is also a National Book Award Finalist and a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Set in 1968, the author tells the story of eleven-year-old Delphine and her two little sisters, Vonetta and Fern. Cecile is their mother who abandoned them right after seven-year-old Fern was born. Their father has decided that the girls need to know their mother so he sends them from their home in Brooklyn to Oakland, California to spend the summer. Cecile makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with her daughters. To get them out of her house so that she can work on her poetry, she sends the girls to a summer day camp ran by the Black Panthers. Delphine is used to taking care of her sisters, but she has to step up even more since the only caregiver they have refuses to even cook for them. Over the course of the summer the girls have to try to fit in to their new environment. They meet other kids there and are introduced to new ideas such as revolution and civil rights. Throughout the whole summer and all of their adventures, the girls all yearn for the one thing they can't seem to get--love from their mother.
What I liked about this book is that it set in such a revolutionary time for African Americans. The story is told from the viewpoint of Delphine which lets the reader experience what it was like being introduced to the views of the Black Panthers from a child's prospective. Being from Brooklyn, Delphine had never really had any encounters with anyone who looked or acted like the Black Panthers. Although she didn't initially agree with their philosophies she eventually came to understand their cause. This book explores what it was likefor children and adults living in Oakland at this termultuous time in America.
My reaction to this book stems from curiosity. I am curious when it comes to stories of abandonment. It is hard for me to understand why a mother would want nothing at all to do with her children. Cecile left after the birth of her youngest daughter because the father would not let her name the baby Afua. Until Cecile finally tells her side of the story near the end of the book, do I finally have an insight as to why or how she could just up and leave her babies. Cecile's poetic spirit will not let her be controlled or contained. I am also curious about the workings of the Black Panthers. Summer day camp is not what I picture when I think of this group. I had no idea that they had ran programs that fed and educated low income children. While they were a radical group, they promoted civil rights and ideas of equality.
Other works by this author include Like Sisters on the Homefront, Every Rainbow Dies, Jumped, and No Laughter Here. Rita Williams-Garcia's novels usually involve African American teens and some of the hardships that they endure. One Crazy Summer deals with the issue of abandonment. Some of her other works deal with topics such as teen pregnancy, bullying, and the Nigeriean ritual of female circumcision.
I enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot from Delphine's journey of trying to be accepted by her mother and by her community. I can understand why this book has won so many awards.
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