BOOK REVIEW: Brown Girl Dreaming

This is a book review for Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This was a new to me author so it counts towards my New to You Challenge (doing so well on that already!) And it also counts for my Book Riot Read Harder Challenge . . . read a book of poetry!

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

I actually finished this book a few days ago, but I didn't want to review it right away. I needed to get my thoughts together. I was afraid I would not be able to do this book justice. I am still afraid of that. This is a powerful book of prose depicting Woodson's life growing up in both the North and the South. Woodson talks about the fact that she can't ride in the front of the bus in the South (even though it is legal) because she doesn't want to make waves, but in the North they don't think twice about it. She uses verse to discuss how conflicted she is because even though things are easier for her family in the North, she still feels her home is the South. She describes so beautifully and eloquently the plight of a black girl growing up in the South during the 1960's.

See what I mean about being able to do this book justice? I know I haven't done that, but I needed to write a review to convey just how much you should read this book. It's powerful, moving, and one of the best memoirs I have ever read.

I give this book a 5/5.