Birmingham, 1963

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2007. Birmingham, 1963. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Wordsong. ISBN 1590784405

PLOT SUMMARY

The poem picture book gives an account of the Birmingham church bombings from the perspective of a fictional ten year-old witness.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Weatherford’s words seamlessly evoke emotion appropriate to the tragedy of the Birmingham bombings.  By writing from the perspective of a child, Weatherford not only makes the book more appropriate for a child, but also seems to make the tragedy even more devastating.  As a reader, I found the concept that the narrator was not naïve to such evil in the world to be very powerful.  It is quite apparent that the narrator could be any girl.  “But Mama allowed me my first sip of coffee / And Daddy twirled me around the kitchen / In my patent-leather cha-cha heels” (10).  Weatherford’s language allows the reader to identify with the narrator.  The words are simple, yet deliberate and strong.

Although Weatherford does not employ a rhyming pattern, the book flows beautifully.  At the end of the book, Weatherford has written short, poetic biographies of each bombing victim.  Although the entire book evokes emotions, the poems at the end have even more impact.  Weatherford is able to capture the personality of each girl.  For example, Cynthia Weasley “Who sang soul music and sipped sodas / With friends in the backyard” (32).   Beyond the emotional impact of this book, the imagery that Weatherford creates is very compelling.  She creates a vivid mental picture for the reader.  The photographs only add to the imagery created for the reader.  The use of photographs was an effective choice as it adds another personal element to the poems.  The color palette of the book consists of grays, black, and white, with red accents scattered throughout.

Birmingham, 1963 is organized in such a way that the poem is broken up into shorter stanzas.  This allows the reader to process each stanza carefully before moving on.  Despite not connecting directly to each stanza, the full-page photos on every other page appear purposefully chosen.  The photographs relate indirectly to the stanzas and complement each stanza superbly.

This book would be appropriate for older children (ages 10 and up).  Young children might find the topic to be scary.  The length of 40 pages is ideal.  It is long enough to fully cover the topic and be engaging, without being cumbersome. 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal:  “An emotional read, made even more accessible and powerful by the viewpoint of the child narrator.”

Starred review in Kirkus: “It’s a gorgeous memorial to the four killed on that horrible day, and to the thousands of children who braved violence to help change the world.”

CONNECTIONS

This book would be ideal for a Civil Rights unit or program.  Other appropriate books include:

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go To Washington – 1963. ISBN 044022800X

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. ISBN 0142408948