Question 2: What does this book teach us about courage? Was there ever a time you had to have a lot of courage?  

Question 3: How does Byron change throughout the story? Is there anything that encourages his change?

Question 4: What does this story make you think or feel about the world today? Are there any parts of the Watsons’ journey that you can relate to?

This historical fiction novel is a super special read. It takes place partly in Flint Michigan, but the family travels in Alabama to try and get Byron back on a better path (he's making a lot of poor decisions), thinking that Grandma Sands will "straighten him out." This story is set during segregation and racism during Jim-Crow Era in the U.S., and the family sees many examples of this during their travels. When the church is bombed during the story (this happened in real life) it's due to hatred and racism. The bombing killed four young african american girls. Kenny is super bothered by this and tries to make sense of all the hate, feeling super conflicted about what took place. When they return home it's very hard for Kenny to feel himself again. He is so bothered by the racism and violence that he even tries to hide away. Byron really shows his change here when he is the one to comfort Kenny and get him back to himself.

“Dad started talking Southern-style, imitating this Hambone guy… “Folks there live in these things called igloos. According to what I seen in this here movie most the folks in Flint is Chinese. Don’t believe I seen nan one colored person in the whole dang city.”... “ but dont believe you’d be too happy living ‘mongst a whole slew of Chinese folks. Don’t believe you’d like the food. Only thing them Chinese folks in that movie et was whales and seals…. Only thing you said that was true about being in Flint is like living in a igloo.. “You know Birmingham is a good place, I don’t mean just the weather either. The life is sower, the people are friendlier-” … Let’s see, where was that ‘Coloreds Only’ bathroom downtown.”

Why did this stick out to me?

This passage stuck out to me personally, first off, because it was talking about Flint, and being from Michigan, I could make the connections to the book, which I am sure that many students also could make while reading this. Furthermore, I know what Michigan is like, so I am aware that we do not really live in igloos and it is not that cold here. I think that this is a great introduction to the Watson's different views on the South vs. the North in terms of weather. This clearly demonstrated how Momma did not like the cold and would prefer to be in Birmingham.

Another reason this stuck out to me was the different cultures being addressed in the short passage. The first, when dad starts talking "Southern-style," you can see that he is taking on a different dialect to try to drive his point from a different viewpoint. This again highlights the differences between the mother and the father, as well as their varying perspectives on the North and the South. They also discuss how the Chinese are the ones who live in Michigan and all that they eat, and how, if this were true, they would probably not live there because they do not eat those things. I found this interesting because, at least in my time in Michigan, I have not seen very many Chinese people inside the state, and during the timeline of the book, Chinese people were very much looked down on as well. Also, the animals described are more of a Pacific coast type meal, not a Michigan meal. The descriptions reminded me more of a description of Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest vs. those in Michigan.

Overall, this passage pointed out a lot of things that I think were meant to deter you from Michigan, and this made me more interested in the passage.

“ Momma wouldn’t let us go out on a cold winter day unless we were wearing a couple of T-shirts, a couple of sweaters, a couple of jackets and a couple of coats, plus gigantic snow pants that hung on your shoulders by suspenders, plus socks and big, black, shiny rubber boots that close with five metal buckles."

Why did this stick out to me?

This passage stuck out to me because again, I am from Michigan, and I know the temperature here. I can relate to the other children at the school in the fact that I would not be bundled up for the winter, and I may look at the Watsons as if they are the weirdo Watsons as well.

However, during this passage and the conversations that they had, Momma talks about how they have Southern blood and how it is different, and they will get colder quicker. This inspired me to do some research to see its validity. Well, it turns out that Momma could be correct. Over generations, your genetics can adapt to hot climates, and this can affect your overall adaptation to hot/cold. While I still don't think they needed to be bundled up as much as Momma had them bundled, it was interesting to discover that this is actually something that you can genetically pass on.

“However, there were many unsolved bombings in Birmingham at the time of the story, including the one that took place at the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. Four young-teenage girls - Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley - were killed when a bomb went off during Sunday School. Addie Mae Collin’s sister, Sarah, had to have an eye removed and another girl was blinded. In the unrest that followed the bombing, two other African American children died. Sixteen-year-old Johnny Robinson was shot to death by police, and thriteen-year-old Virgil Wade was murdered by two white boys. Although these may be nothing more than names in a book to you now, you must remember that these children were just as precious to their families as Joetta was to the Watsons or as your brothers and sisters are to you.”

Why did this stick out to me?

This stuck out to me because the author was intentional with their writing to make sure they could honor these children in the writing. It shows you how this could have been anybody; it could have been someone in your family who was a victim of these hate crimes.

The first time that I read the passages about the church, I was a little confused with all of the different parts going on, but when I reread the passages, I realized what had happened. While I think that Christopher Curtis did a good job at showing the family in distress and the horror of the bombing, I think, similar to the passage that was written above, they should have killed Joetta off.

Yes, Kenny ends up having major issues with the situation when going back home and his family, especially Byron have to help him overcome these fears he is having, but at the same time we all feel relief that everyone in the Watson family is "okay". I think that if it had been Joetta and he did have her shoe, then we would not have this sense of relief; instead, we would feel the pain that these other families would have had losing these children to the bombing. Similar to the Boy in Striped Pajamas feel, we shouldn't write books that are about horrible things and give them a "happy ending". While obviously, this ending is not still not happy, we do not see the hurt specifically from the Watsons. I think that more books should end in a way that makes you feel more for those involved.

Was the bombing in the book sad? Yes. Would it have impacted me more if it were Joetta? Yes.

The story made me realize how literature can be used to gently introduce important conversations about race, justice, and identity in ways that students in urban settings might connect with personally. Reading this book made me think differently about how I can bring more culturally meaningful texts into my teaching.