Brown Girl Dreaming

1. Bibliography

Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014. Brown Girl Dreaming. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9780399252518

2. Plot Summary 

In Brown Girl Dreaming, Woodson details the story of her childhood. From being born in the North, in Ohio, to moving to Greenville, South Carolina, to back to the North in New York, Woodson tells the story of what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s. She never felt at home, with kids staying away from her in South Carolina because she "talked funny" and being a Jehovah's Witness in New York where her friends did not understand her. Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of a young girl figuring out who she is and where she belongs.

3. Critical Analysis

From the beginning, Woodson takes us into her life, starting from the day she was born. She denotes dialogue with italics; while in South Carolina, she uses the language of the South, with her grandfather calling the neighbors "Miz" and her grandmother telling her and her siblings that "they know better than that." This stylistic choice gives the reader an intimate look into her childhood home with her grandparents and allowing the reader to build a relationship with her family members just as she herself had. 

While the book is in free-verse, Woodson uses rhyme to place emphasis on the experience of being a brown girl in the South. In "How to Listen #2," the rhyme of "downtown," "around," and "brown" details how she and her family were followed in stores because the storeowners believed they would steal something. The repetition of her father saying, "You can keep your South" shows the growing divide between her father and the rest of the family, leading to her, her mother, and her siblings ultimately moving to Greenville. Woodson's masterful and delicate control of language takes the reader through her childhood and allows them to emotionally connect with her on a deep and intimate level. 

4. Review Excerpts 

John Newbery Medal

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work

From Kirkus Reviews: "Woodson cherishes her memories and shares them with a graceful lyricism." 

5. Connections

Have students craft a poem about a memory from their childhood. 

Enjoy other works by Jacqueline Woodson such as:

• The Day You Begin. ISBN 9780399246531
• Feathers. ISBN 9780142415504