Life and Dreaming

          Out of all the books we have read, “Brown Girl Dreaming” may be my favorite. Jacqueline Woodson writes from memory. Although she is doing this as an adult, I believe the perspectives are how she viewed the world at the time, as a child. Memory can be a funny thing and Woodson does a good job of capturing her world as it was. Woodson also overlaps what is happening in the greater world and how she and her family fit in.

            Woodson has a common theme in that she is always dreaming and making up stories. Family vacations, for example, are more interesting to her when she creates the story instead of telling what really happened in the summer. Does this make her more interesting in the eyes of her classmates? Maybe. What it does do for Woodson is keep up her writing and storytelling skills, which is a definite asset. One day Woodson’s teacher states “You are a writer.” It is not a made-up thing or a future aspiration and instead it is a current event.

            What we read about are the different transitions and settings – Woodson is born in Ohio and moves with her mom and siblings to Greenville to live with her grandparents. Woodson’s mom goes off to New York City and returns to Greenville, along with a new baby, to bring all the kids back. At this point, Woodson and her older siblings straddle between the two cities, visiting Greenville in the summer, until her grandfather passes away. After that, Woodson’s grandmother moves to New York and stays with them.

            Another part that is different once they move to New York is that Woodson has friends. When in Greenville, the siblings played with each other. In New York City, Woodson gains a best friend and even a second best friend forever. It is challenging when the other two can play with each other and Woodson must stay inside. Maybe even a deep feeling of missing out or, even worse, of being replaced. Either way, it is relatable and not just a childhood angst. Overall, I thought “Brown Girl Dreaming” expressed a great way to reflect on growing up and how life fit into the bigger picture of the world.