The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963- Required Read

I thought that The Watsons Go to Birmingham was a very well-written book. It showed exactly what African-Americans had to go through during that time period. The Watsons actually reminded me of my own family. We seem dysfunctional at times, but we all love each other and would do anything for one another. I think that is part of what made the book so effective. The reader is easily able to imagine what things would be like if they were put in that situation. The Watsons take a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to visit their grandma one winter. They are from Flint, Michigan, so Byron, Kenny, and Joey have not seen first-hand the discrimination issues of the south. While they are there, a church is bombed and quite a few African-Americans are hurt and killed. It is sad and scary to think that people can be hateful enough to kill innocent people because of their skin color. Young children that had simply wanted to attend Sunday School were killed for no reason. Having this book based off of true events allows the reader insight into what some of the families directly affected by the bombings had to experience. We are able to put ourselves in their shoes and realize what a truly horrible thing racism is.