The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963

I just wanted to say that this is a very good book, and very well written. I think that the author captured what was happening in the South at that time very well from a black person stand point. I was into the book and the story. Great Great book.

I was required to "read" this book for a college level children's literature class. Usually when I'm assigned required reading I expect to be bored to tears because the books professors tend to pick are not often the types of books I prefer. However, this book wasn't bad. Along with "Alas Babylon" (required for another class) this was one of the better books I've been assigned. I was glad to see LaVar Burton as the narrator. I love his voice. It brought back so many memories of watching Reading Rainbow as a kid. His voice always sounds so relaxing and gentle. I feel like I'm curled up in front of a cozy fire no matter where I am when I hear him read. LaVar also has excellent diction and he utilizes pauses very well. He might not do voices like other narrators, but for this book it was just fine with me.

The story was also good. I wasn't able to relate to it completely or clearly judge it's realness because I'm not old enough to have experienced these events & others like it, I live in the North, and I'm white. That being said, I feel like it did give me a decent glimpse into what this family felt and experienced in both Flint, Michigan & Birmingham, Alabama at that time in history. It was interesting to see how children might have dealt with experiencing major civil rights events, how they worked out those emotions & logic in their own mind, and how they related it to what was happening in their own lives at the time.

All in all I think it's a good story & worth the listen, for kids & even an adult like me. :)

1. Read and enjoy

2. Give this book to:
-smart or artistic kids who sometimes don't think they fit in; they will relate to the narrator.
-kids who love being entertained by TV but not by books; they will look forward to each new chapter as if it were an episode of their favorite show.
-children you wish knew a little more about America's recent history; they will learn a little about the Civil Rights Movement without feeling like they're being "taught."
-children who are dealing with a recent trauma or death; this is full of humor and tragedy and offers advice about moving on.
-adults who want something that's a pleasure to listen to, but will still get them thinking; this is precisely the book they're looking for.

Excellent book. A great depiction of life in the 1960's. I called my grandchildren - who range in age from 7 to 13, and live in Chicago - to tell them about the wonderful book that I found and that we could cuddle in bed with a bowl of popcorn and listen to. I am going to visit for Easter and can't wait for the joy of listening again with them. Christopher Paul Curtis is an excellent storyteller and with LeVar Burton narrating, it was sheer joy. Coincidentally, when I told my eleven year old granddaughter about the book, she became very excited. It seems that her teacher had just that day recommended it to her to read.

I had a hard week at work and I just wanted to listen to something down to earth. This wonderful book and it characters took me back to a time when life was much simpler. Even with the racial tention life in itself was so uncomplicated. It was a time when family met something.It was nice to be with the Watson and be a kid again.

I love this book and have listened to it several times. Set during the times of the Civil Rights movement it is a story of the hilarious happenings of the "weird Watsons" and their trip to Burmingham from Michigan. Quite the culture shock for them but this is one of the best family stories our family has heard in long time!

This Newberry Honor winning book is so close to a perfect home-run: the narration is spot on, the slow moving plot entertains all the way through with a gradual layering of character building that made me feel like part of Kenny's, 60's family in Flint, Michigan. I loved my visit to a home that might have eaten that embarrasing food stamp food a time or two, where kids were kids and worried about getting their face "Whirlpooled" and had parents who loved them dearly and made life fun. However, I am very sensitive to swearing and did notice the scattered curse words though the book, which wasn't enough to really bother me... until I stopped to think it was written for children. True young Kenny, the narrator, doesn't swear but older brother and parents are recorded though his eyes. The book also includes the bombing of a black church, where the much adored younger sister is attending Sunday school and the reader experiences the family's terror from outside the church. So I guess what I am saying is... even though the beginning is very light-hearted, warm and so very well written... it is more appropriate for older readers. I was also just a little dissapointed in what felt like a maniputlated ending. I was so sucked into the story, that at the end when I had to suspend my disbelief it was jarring.

Keeps you laughing!

My 10-year-old son and I enjoyed -- for the most part -- listening to this story together after his younger siblings went to bed. We both enjoyed the comic telling of the story, and the narrator is absolutely first-rate. The character development comes alive, although I didn't see where the plot was going for quite a while into the story. What I didn't like is any references to the coarser language that I do not want my homeschooled kids exposed to -- one of the reasons I homeschool is to avoid early exposure to things like vulgarities and coarse language (it'll come, I know, I know). So, I didn't appreciate references to "giving him the dirty finger" and "he said the s-word" and "get the hell away from me" and the like. It's a good story and I enjoyed the character development, but bad characters don't HAVE to curse and swear -- especially in a story that's geared towards children. In sum, I wouldn't let a child under 12 or 13 listen to this story, and even then, it'd depend on the circumstances. It's not a must-listen story, marred by the brief albeit troublesome references I've just noted.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham is a great novel and the audio performance certainly does justice to the story. My students LOVE the days when I let them experience the audio instead of having them read it themselves. A great treat for my class!