Written by: Rita Williams-Garcia
Published by: Amistad, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-06-076090-8
Plot Summary
Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are used to their lives in New York with Pa and Big Ma. But they're on their way to Oakland to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile, a poet, who goes by Nzila. Cecile isn't what they expected, she seems uninterested in the girls and Delphine discovers she's involved with the Black Panthers. The girls start going to the neighborhood center for breakfast and a camp run by the Black Panthers and begin to learn about the world outside the one they've always known.
Critical Analysis
Before the summer of 1968, Delphine's mother was just a series of memories to her and someone told about in stories to her sisters, who were too young to remember her before she left. The lack of a mother along with her status as the oldest has turned Delphine into someone who is more mature than the average 11-year old. She watches over her sisters at home in New York, on the plane ride and finds herself still as their primary guardian when they arrive in California to find that their mother doesn't seem very interested in them being there.
Delphine's character grows and changes throughout the book as she discovers that the world is different from what she's seen on the news and heard from Pa and Big Ma. These changes come about due to the time spent with her mother, away from the guidance and protection of her father and grandmother, the added responsibilities of caring for her sisters essentially on her own, and the change of scenery as well as her age. Delphine is able to witness the Black Panthers in person and get to know some of the individuals as actual people not just faces on the news. She is able to understand what they are fighting for because she has a first-hand glimpse that hasn't been filtered through the news or her grandmother.
Cecile also changes through the book. She refuses to call Fern by her name, always referring to her as "little girl". This causes Delphine to think that her grandmother's claim that Cecile left them because she wanted to give Fern another name is true. As an adult, one is able to understand that the situation had to have been more complicated than this, so this assumption is true to Delphine's age and her life's experiences, having been influenced as they were by the woman who came to raise her after her mother left.
Although the sisters all have similar traits, they are definitely all individuals. This is clear from the front cover, which shows the three of them walking in a row. They all have the same posture, with their heads held high but each has a dress with a different pattern along with their own hairstyle. Fern can also be seen holding on to Miss Patty Cake, her doll and constant companion. Delphine isn't the only one who we see change through the story. After hearing Kelvin's criticism that Fern shouldn't be carrying a white doll and the Ankton sister's claims that Fern is a baby, Vonetta decides to color Miss Patty Cake's face in an attempt to make her skin a better match for their own. Delphine attempts to clean her but is only mildly successful. Fern is heartbroken but adapts to life without Miss Patty Cake. This can be taken as a symbol of her growing up and learning to change in this foreign environment.
The historical events included in the novel are accurate and it is interesting to have the opportunity to see them from the viewpoints of several people who were living at the time. Big Ma takes a more conservative viewpoint, criticizing the Black Panthers and insisting on continuing to call the boxer Cassius Clay rather than his new moniker, Muhammad Ali. As most children do, Delphine sees this viewpoint as iron-clad while living at home, but her eyes are opened to other possibilities when she goes to live with her mother and meets Sister Mukumbu and learns more about the Black Panthers as people. This firsthand experience, combined with the physical and emotional distance from home allows her to develop her own opinions and feelings about the Black Panthers and their movement.
The relationship between the sisters and their mother is strained throughout the book, but there are small developments that signal change. Cecile allows Delphine to prepare meals in the kitchen after initially refusing all 3 sisters entry to the kitchen because it is where she works and keeps her materials, most importantly her printing press. After she is allowed into the kitchen, the close proximity and her ability to prove that she is responsible and careful slowly allows Cecile to trust her more grow to like her presence rather than resenting it. She provides Delphine with a stool to sit on while dinner cooks and then lets her help with the press, although she criticizes her first attempt.
Delphine is required to keep her sisters out of the house as much as possible and that, combined with their desire to experience some vacation-like moments during their trip, leads her to plan an outing across the bay in San Francisco during their penultimate Saturday in California. Delphine is pleased with how the day turned out, and how well she managed their schedule and money and desires to tell Cecile about it when they return home. However, when they get back, they see her being arrested with 2 Black Panthers. Cecile sees them as she is being led to the car and denies that they are her's, claiming that they live down the street. Rather than being hurt by this, Delphine understands it is Cecile's attempt to keep them from being taken into the state's custody and agrees with her.
Their neighbor, Hirohito, and his mother show up after hearing of Cecile's arrest and take in the sisters. Whereas in the past Delphine voiced constant irritation at both Hirohito and Vonetta's obvious crush on him, after living together, she begins to view him as at least a friend, if not more, another sign of her growth throughout the book. She also understands his life better because Hirohito's father is also currently in jail for his work with the Black Panthers.
The climax of the book is set during a rally for justice for Huey Newton in which the sisters perform a poem that their mother wrote. Fern also reveals that she saw Kelvin while in San Francisco, speaking with the policeman. She does this through an impromptu poem performed at the rally. This shows Fern's growth as she's no longer scared of Kelvin and identifies her as a budding poet, just like her mother. After getting off stage, they discover that Cecile was released and made it to the rally to hear them perform her poem.
Delphine and Cecile have a heart-to-heart talk in which Cecile reveals that she wanted to name Fern Afua and reveals more about her own childhood as well as the reasons that she left. She ends the talk by urging Delphine to be 11 while she still can. Cecile's change throughout the book is evidenced by this talk along with her behavior at the airport while awaiting their departure. When they arrived, she hardly spoke to them and walked quickly through the airport, without making sure they were keeping up. However, on this trip, she stands up for them when a white man asks to take their picture and then watches until they board the plane.
This book is unique in that it tackles racism in the '60s in a way that few books directed at young people do. Delphine's experience is all that she knows and thus seems normal for her but readers today may be shocked to learn some of the things that were commonplace for the sisters in the book and the many children that experienced similar situations in real life.
Delphine's character grows and changes throughout the book as she discovers that the world is different from what she's seen on the news and heard from Pa and Big Ma. These changes come about due to the time spent with her mother, away from the guidance and protection of her father and grandmother, the added responsibilities of caring for her sisters essentially on her own, and the change of scenery as well as her age. Delphine is able to witness the Black Panthers in person and get to know some of the individuals as actual people not just faces on the news. She is able to understand what they are fighting for because she has a first-hand glimpse that hasn't been filtered through the news or her grandmother.
Cecile also changes through the book. She refuses to call Fern by her name, always referring to her as "little girl". This causes Delphine to think that her grandmother's claim that Cecile left them because she wanted to give Fern another name is true. As an adult, one is able to understand that the situation had to have been more complicated than this, so this assumption is true to Delphine's age and her life's experiences, having been influenced as they were by the woman who came to raise her after her mother left.
Although the sisters all have similar traits, they are definitely all individuals. This is clear from the front cover, which shows the three of them walking in a row. They all have the same posture, with their heads held high but each has a dress with a different pattern along with their own hairstyle. Fern can also be seen holding on to Miss Patty Cake, her doll and constant companion. Delphine isn't the only one who we see change through the story. After hearing Kelvin's criticism that Fern shouldn't be carrying a white doll and the Ankton sister's claims that Fern is a baby, Vonetta decides to color Miss Patty Cake's face in an attempt to make her skin a better match for their own. Delphine attempts to clean her but is only mildly successful. Fern is heartbroken but adapts to life without Miss Patty Cake. This can be taken as a symbol of her growing up and learning to change in this foreign environment.
The historical events included in the novel are accurate and it is interesting to have the opportunity to see them from the viewpoints of several people who were living at the time. Big Ma takes a more conservative viewpoint, criticizing the Black Panthers and insisting on continuing to call the boxer Cassius Clay rather than his new moniker, Muhammad Ali. As most children do, Delphine sees this viewpoint as iron-clad while living at home, but her eyes are opened to other possibilities when she goes to live with her mother and meets Sister Mukumbu and learns more about the Black Panthers as people. This firsthand experience, combined with the physical and emotional distance from home allows her to develop her own opinions and feelings about the Black Panthers and their movement.
The relationship between the sisters and their mother is strained throughout the book, but there are small developments that signal change. Cecile allows Delphine to prepare meals in the kitchen after initially refusing all 3 sisters entry to the kitchen because it is where she works and keeps her materials, most importantly her printing press. After she is allowed into the kitchen, the close proximity and her ability to prove that she is responsible and careful slowly allows Cecile to trust her more grow to like her presence rather than resenting it. She provides Delphine with a stool to sit on while dinner cooks and then lets her help with the press, although she criticizes her first attempt.
Delphine is required to keep her sisters out of the house as much as possible and that, combined with their desire to experience some vacation-like moments during their trip, leads her to plan an outing across the bay in San Francisco during their penultimate Saturday in California. Delphine is pleased with how the day turned out, and how well she managed their schedule and money and desires to tell Cecile about it when they return home. However, when they get back, they see her being arrested with 2 Black Panthers. Cecile sees them as she is being led to the car and denies that they are her's, claiming that they live down the street. Rather than being hurt by this, Delphine understands it is Cecile's attempt to keep them from being taken into the state's custody and agrees with her.
Their neighbor, Hirohito, and his mother show up after hearing of Cecile's arrest and take in the sisters. Whereas in the past Delphine voiced constant irritation at both Hirohito and Vonetta's obvious crush on him, after living together, she begins to view him as at least a friend, if not more, another sign of her growth throughout the book. She also understands his life better because Hirohito's father is also currently in jail for his work with the Black Panthers.
The climax of the book is set during a rally for justice for Huey Newton in which the sisters perform a poem that their mother wrote. Fern also reveals that she saw Kelvin while in San Francisco, speaking with the policeman. She does this through an impromptu poem performed at the rally. This shows Fern's growth as she's no longer scared of Kelvin and identifies her as a budding poet, just like her mother. After getting off stage, they discover that Cecile was released and made it to the rally to hear them perform her poem.
Delphine and Cecile have a heart-to-heart talk in which Cecile reveals that she wanted to name Fern Afua and reveals more about her own childhood as well as the reasons that she left. She ends the talk by urging Delphine to be 11 while she still can. Cecile's change throughout the book is evidenced by this talk along with her behavior at the airport while awaiting their departure. When they arrived, she hardly spoke to them and walked quickly through the airport, without making sure they were keeping up. However, on this trip, she stands up for them when a white man asks to take their picture and then watches until they board the plane.
This book is unique in that it tackles racism in the '60s in a way that few books directed at young people do. Delphine's experience is all that she knows and thus seems normal for her but readers today may be shocked to learn some of the things that were commonplace for the sisters in the book and the many children that experienced similar situations in real life.
Awards Won
2011- John Newbery Honor Book
2011- Coretta Scott King Award
2011- Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Review Excerpt
From Kirkus Reviews, published December 22, 2010
"Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings: “Just like I know how to lift my sisters up, I also knew how to needle them just right.” Each girl has a distinct response to her motherless state, and Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page."
Connections
One Crazy Summer is the first book in a series about Delphine and her younger sisters. Students can follow it up with the sequel, P.S. Be Eleven and then Gone Crazy in Alabama.
The book mentions several historical events that happened in 1968, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy. Discuss the impact those events had on history.
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