海角大神

A memoir-in-verse done well 鈥� written by a woman who鈥檚 lived in remarkable times 鈥� invites readers to open pages and slip right in. Step inside and meet the family, the brothers and sister, the aunts, grandparents, and a best friend. Pull up a chair to the table or eavesdrop on the porch. Jacqueline Wood's memoir Brown Girl Dreaming is history and storytelling at their very best.

Born in Ohio with the stories of South Carolina already running 鈥渓ike rivers through my veins,鈥� Woodson titles the first poem "February 12, 1963" 鈥� her birthdate as well as a momentous year in the civil rights movement. But although she鈥檚 a witness to the history and it鈥檚 interspersed throughout her elegant book, this is a personal narrative, full of youthful dreams and possibility.

The story begins with family discord.聽 鈥淣ame a girl Jack,鈥� her father says, 鈥渁nd she can鈥檛 help but grow up strong.鈥� Naming a girl for her father will cause people to think her parents are crazy, claims her mother. With a flair for writing and a hint of what鈥檚 ahead, she becomes Jacqueline and takes her place in a family of doctors and lawyers, athletes, scholars, homemakers and dayworkers.

Woodson鈥檚 memoir, suggested for ages 10 and up, moves from her birthplace in Ohio to South Carolina and eventually to Brooklyn. Poems from the South reflect what it was like see the world as a black child in a place men leave 鈥渋n their one good suit, shoes/ spit shined鈥� and women in 鈥淪unday clothes,/ hatted and lipsticked and white gloved.鈥� As we read of the time she spent living with her grandparents and the summers when she returned to South Carolina, the remarkable relationship between a young girl and her Southern grandfather makes for some of the most beautiful poetry and memories.

But there are many things to love here. The tiny poems sprinkled throughout, numbered and named 鈥渉ow to listen,鈥� call out to be memorized or to inspire young readers to write their own. 鈥�What is your one dream,/ my friend Maria asks me./ Your one wish come true?鈥� And this: 鈥淓ven the silence/ has a story to tell you./ Just listen. Listen.鈥�

Fortunately, the little girl鈥檚 wish did come true. Woodson would grow up to write stories that are cherished by readers of all ages. Because she finds poetry in everything from hair ribbons to John鈥檚 Bargain Store, from graffiti and Rikers Island to hair straightening and first grade, the story sings. The book is filled with perfect tiny moments about family, about friends, and about writing and reading and following your dreams.

Among the author鈥檚 many achievements, her books have been awarded three Newbery Honor medals and a Coretta Scott King Honor award. Brown Girl Dreaming has just been named a National Book Award finalist.