Brown Girl Dreaming

Moving and brilliant - this is an extraordinary book.

Lovely book, my daughter read it in one sitting and has read again and again.

Purchased as a gift-for my Granddaughter who found the author's

The story is in poems and very American, I had to explain a few things to my 9 year old in the UK

Wonderful!

A powerful, heart-expanding novel in verse and one everyone needs to read. I was so happy to see this being published in the UK! The writing is magnificent and the themes it touches on are just so important.

I've heard great things about this book so bought it for my daughter. Upon opening the packaging I noticed that this book has a rough edge on each page not sure if this is the look they were going from.

The finishing quality or this product is atrocious. I purchased this for our corporate library in support of Black History Month and had to display a book that looks like it was finished using a blunt butter knife.

Good book for pre teens who are interested in memoirs and historical fiction

BROWN GIRL DREAMING This remarkable novel told in verse is the memoir of Jacqueline Woodson ( @jacqueline_woodson ). In these verses she shares what it was like to grow up in the 60's & 70's in South Carolina & New York amidst the remnants of Jim Crow and during the Civil Right Movement. I initially picked this book up because it seemed to be an easy and fun middle grade read. But it turned out to be so much more ... 📚 As a woman of color it was refreshing to read about the hot comb, the freshly starched Sunday clothes and the colorful ribbons in her hair. Her stern but very warm and loving grand parents who would help raise her and her siblings put a smile on my face, simply because it made me realize that there are more similarities than differences when it comes to growing up black. Some things are the same no matter where you come from. 😊 📚 For me, the most fascinating verses were those about anything Civil Right Movement related. It was interesting to learn about the training for the sit-ins and the non-violent marches that made a difference for colored people all over the world for decades to come. These actions were the beginning of the fight against segregation and discrimination of African Americans. The mind boggling thing about all of this is that historically speaking the 60's and 70's are not even that long ago 😳... 📚 Brown girl dreaming won several awards and all of them are well deserved. This book was as pleasant as it was educational and I feel very blessed that this outstanding literary work was brought to my attention. I read the book while listening to the audio. The audiobook happens to be narrated by the author and that is always a plus. 4,5 out of 5 stars. #JacquelineWoodson #BrownGirlDreaming #2014 #Poetry #Memoir #MiddleGrade #Bibliophile #Bookstagram #Books #Reader #Booknerd

This is a beautifully written memoir set in poetry by the much acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson. Jacqueline’s aunt Ada, a genealogist and family historian, provided Jacqueline with tremendous family history with which this book begins that adds depth and history to the memoir. There is always a contrast between the north an south running like a current through this book. Jacqueline and her family begin in Ohio visiting South Carolina in the summer. They ultimately begin alternating between Brooklyn and South Carolina. Jacqueline Woodson is so eloquent in ascribing the haziness of memory and how feelings and emotions at the time become the more important element. The poetic format for placing these snippets of memory seems so honest and heartfelt. This is a small volume, yet contains so much. There is so much history, especially regarding the Civil Rights Movement, written into these pages. There is the effect of teachers on a young girl’s self-confidence when they praise her writing. There is the love of a family; the complete trust and vulnerability of young children knowing that they are safe with family they love. There is the beauty of forever friendships, these early friendships that are so important and make life so much more enjoyable. This is a book about race, about growing up as a Jehovah’s witness, about dreams in childhood that have so wonderfully come to fruition for Jacqueline Woodson. This book has been marketed as middle grade, but I would recommend it to everyone. It is a remarkably beautiful collection of poetry, rich in history. I think it is so hard to write from a child’s perspective and honestly capture the thoughts and perspective from that time in life, but Jacqueline Woodson does so brilliantly. I love how within this book, Jacqueline talks about how she does not read quickly like her sister. She takes her time with books, reading, thinking, re-reading, enjoying. This, I believe, is how one should read Brown Girl Dreaming, There is so much to take away and enjoy from each chapter/poem. I loved this book for being a beautiful heartfelt collection of poetry, for moving me in ways I did not expect to be moved, for giving young girls hope and reason to dream, for beautifully describing family, and so much more. Beyond that, I also appreciate that this adds to the growing body of diverse literature, especially for young people. For discussion questions, see book-chatter.com.

This book was so wonderful because it was so interesting to learn about Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood, and what helped create who she became. I always love learning about other people’s childhoods, because no person grows up the exact same as another person!

I'm using this book with a class of students and the reception has been so heartwarming. The language is approachable. The style is artful and engaging and the subject matter is important. This week it received the greatest compliment of all: a student asked, "Do you have any more books like this?" I'm so glad this book exists.