The Watsons Go to Birmingham
| Author | Christopher Paul Curtis |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Realistic fiction |
|
Publication date
|
1995/1997/2000 |
| OCLC | 32133739 |
| LC Class | PZ7.C94137 Wat 1995 |
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 (1995) is a historical-fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. First published in 1995, it was reprinted in 1997. It tells the story of a loving African-American family living in the town of Flint, Michigan, in 1963. When the oldest son (Byron) begins to get into a bit of trouble, the parents decide he should spend the summer and possibly the next school year with Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama. The entire family travels there together by car, and during their visit, tragic events take place.
The book was adapted for a TV movie of the same name, produced in 2013 and aired on the Hallmark Channel.
Although the Watson family is fictional, the characters are based on members of the author's family. He based the events on those of his childhood, especially in the first part of the book. Events later in the story center on the historic 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, soon after the civil rights protests had gained negotiation with white city leaders for integration. The bombing was a catalyst for increased activity in the Civil Rights Movement and work on voter registration in Mississippi, during Freedom Summer of 1964.
The novel is a first-person account narrarated by Kenny Watson, who lives in Flint, Michigan with his parents, Daniel and Wilona Watson, his older brother Byron, and younger sister Joetta. It is set entirely in 1963, beginning on a cold day in January and ending in the fall. The opening chapters establish Kenny as a very bright and shy 4th grader who has difficulty making true friends until Rufus Fry arrives in town from Arkansas. Rufus is also bullied by the students at Clark Elementary for his "country" clothes and accent, making Kenny reluctant to befriend him at first, but they are soon inseparable. Kenny is alternatively bullied and protected by his 13 year old brother Byron, whom he calls "an official teenage juvenile delinquent". Byron has been retained twice because he often skips school and is still in 6th grade. He invents a series of "fantastic adventures" which constantly get him into trouble and include playing with matches in the house, abusing his parent's credit at the corner grocery store to buy himself treats, and getting a "conk" hairstyle against his parents' orders.
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