I must admit I have issues with the word Genre. I feel that in identifying genre, we are often limiting the work. The most interesting work incorporates several genres without ever specifically fitting one genres conventions. Imagine that, creative work, that doesn't follow conventions. Is the classification of "Children's Books" a genre? Some say yes, others no. When you look at a novel like One Crazy Summer, the easiest classification is "children's" but there is a limitation in that. The narrative Rita Williams-Garcia creates evokes the strong African American voices we have heard before, such as Alice Walker, or Zora Neale Hurston, with her own voice mingled through the story. Walker and Hurston write/wrote for adult audiences. The Color Purple became required reading and was pushed into the hands of American readers young and old. Calling a book like, One Crazy Summer, a children's book limits the potential readers of the book, but also allows young people to tackle subjects, once thought too grown up for their innocent minds. So, If I assume you are like me and refuse to think of "children's" as a genre. How would you classify a novel like One Crazy Summer. Is it Historical Fiction, because it is steeped in Historical References? Some of my favorite Historical References: Big Ma- that's Pa's mother- says Cassius Clay. Pa says Muhammad Ali or just Ali. I slide back and forth from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. Whatever picture comes to mind. With Cassius Clay you hear the clash of fists, like the plane getting jabbed and punched. With Muhammad Ali you see a mighty mountain, greater than Everest, and can't no one knock down a mountain. |
Why I love this Reference? Williams-Garcia tells so much about Delphine and her family. She shows her father as having grown more progressive, honoring the name, Ali chose to give himself. She shows Big Ma, stuck with the tradition, of a name that was given to him, Cassius Clay. She shows Delphine as stuck between the tradition and modernity, choosing to sift between the two, for the name that packs the right emotional punch. (See what I did there with the pun!) In either case, Delphine is looking at the Clay/Muhammad for strength, when Williams-Garcia shows us this, we are able to see the need Delphine will have for strength, it is setting up the premise of the story. Pretty graceful for a slight reveal on page 3/4.
(In the Center) I expected to find Dr. Martin Luter King's photograph hanging on the wall, but I was disappointed. Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali were the only faces I could name. I didn't know any of the women, although one woman looked just like Big Ma. Next to her picture were the words "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired."
What I love about this?
Williams-Garcia does so much in this short paragraph, the writer in me just wants to give her a huge big "Rock on!" She sets the setting for the room, we can see posters and photographs in a community center. She shows Delphine as having a clash between the more traditional ideals of peaceful Civil Rights movement (MLK) and the Black Panther ideals, Malcolm X/ Ali. She shows that women played a role, but that she herself, was not really aware of what that role was. She was depicting Delphine as being unaware of the feminist contributions of African American Women to the Civil Rights Movement. She is giving us an image description of Big Ma. Although, most children wouldn't have recognized the quote as belonging to Fannie Lou Hamer, surely if curious they could certainly google the quote. But more importantly the physical comparison of Big Ma to Hamer shows that Big Ma was choosing the tradition, that other women of her generation were willing to Buck. It is brilliance like that that gets you all of those pretty labels on the front of your books:) (Coretta Scott King Award, Newberry Honor Book, National Book Award Finalist, Scott O'Dell Award)
Williams-Garcia does so much in this short paragraph, the writer in me just wants to give her a huge big "Rock on!" She sets the setting for the room, we can see posters and photographs in a community center. She shows Delphine as having a clash between the more traditional ideals of peaceful Civil Rights movement (MLK) and the Black Panther ideals, Malcolm X/ Ali. She shows that women played a role, but that she herself, was not really aware of what that role was. She was depicting Delphine as being unaware of the feminist contributions of African American Women to the Civil Rights Movement. She is giving us an image description of Big Ma. Although, most children wouldn't have recognized the quote as belonging to Fannie Lou Hamer, surely if curious they could certainly google the quote. But more importantly the physical comparison of Big Ma to Hamer shows that Big Ma was choosing the tradition, that other women of her generation were willing to Buck. It is brilliance like that that gets you all of those pretty labels on the front of your books:) (Coretta Scott King Award, Newberry Honor Book, National Book Award Finalist, Scott O'Dell Award)
Vonetta's face ripened to a peach. She grabbed the microphone pole like Diana Ross, stepped out in front of us--her Supremes-- then cleared her throat. "'I birthed a Black Nation' by our mother, Nzila, the black poet. All the power to all the people.
Let's pull this apart- It really needs to be analyzed. Vonetta's Face ripened to a peach- What is Peach? Caucasian- Someone who was allowed to have a voice. Someone whose voice mattered in that time frame. She was able to create a performance that made her matter. Rhetorical Device employed: Metaphor Like Diana Ross- Williams-Garcia is depicting the showy nature of Vonetta. Diana Ross doesn't take the back, she is always front and center- she is always commanding attention. In this type of inter-textual reference the reader brings something to the work. For me, when I hear this, I imagine my sisters and I singing, "Stop in the Name of Love." I picture thumbing through my father's album covers in the living room trying to decide who was more beautiful, Diana Ross or Donna Summer. I remember asking my father which was more beautiful, he said something like "how could you pick" and I was a little surprised my father thought women who looked nothing like my mother were beautiful. I picture watching Solid Gold trying to pick out who was the best dancer, who was the prettiest, while they played songs like "Endless Love." Rhetorical Device employed: Simile, Caesura (notice the paused m-dash of musical/poetic verse put around her Supremes), I birthed a Black Nation- Editing her mother's poetry shows that Vonetta is creating a spark of change, that her mother could not see. Nzila saw herself as birthing a nation. Vonetta limiting it to a Black nation actually brings more power to those words. And the sisters follow suit. When I read this I recalled the words of Alice Walker "And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not, anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see-- or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read." The three sisters, were seeing in their mothers work a place to create their own meaning, they were recreating a powerful prose, that their mother could not have created, because of their experiences. Rhetorical Device: Metaphor (she didn't actually birth anything if you are looking at Vonetta) Or Hyperbole if you take it to be a direct quotation of Nzila (she only birthed 3 daughters- that would be a pretty small nation.) All the power to all the people- When Vonetta chose to change the mantra "All the power to the people," she was creating a variation that was more diversely inclusive. She was not considering her own rights exclusive to other people. Adding the "all," reminded the missing link where some of the people were being neglected the right to power. This is so meaningful within this work, we can see that Williams-Garcia acknowledge and incorporates all people like Hirohito and Mean Lady Ming. It shows that the girls are growing into becoming more culturally aware. Rhetorical Device: It is a sententia, however, instead of summing up the maxim it is making it more inclusive. |
Of course, a case could be made for One Crazy Summer as an Adventure story. Certainly, Delphine and her sisters are traveling to an unknown place in search of the mother that abandoned them. They have no idea what awaits them, and fantasies about Disneyland and California. There is the traditional Heroes journey.
One crazy summer- Hero's Journey
The adventure aspects of the story are strong, we see a major transformation of our Protagonist from the girl who is able to come somewhere between tradition and complete reformation. Delphine is called to the adventure by her father who determines she (along with Vonetta and Fern) should meet Cecile. Big Ma is tradition, the voice in Delphine's head, she is aware of Big Ma's expectations f her. She is firmly routed in the ideas they have given her. Sister Mukumba offers spiritual guidance to Delphine and makes her realize there is a middle ground. While the rest of the Center seem more extremest, Sister Mukumba chooses kindness first. The threshold happens when Delphine identifies with Bobby Hutton, the youngest member of the Black Panthers to die for the cause. The Abyss is when Nzila/Cecile is arrested, Delphine is alone with the girls and has Hirohito and his mother who help her out of the Abyss. She transforms from a girl who won't take risks when she rides Hirohito's Hot Rod. Delphine finds atonement in cleaning her mother's work area (the kitchen) and performing her poetry. The gift of the goddess comes from her mother when she reveals she didn't really want to leave Delphine. She returns to New York a changed girl, bringing back with her both the transformed more actualized self and a better understanding of her mother.
A case could be made for Political Fiction. While most political fiction is more satirical or creates a dystopian society. The direct contrast played out between the traditional southern values of Big Ma and the poetic values of Cecile show a place where Delphine could grow. In One Crazy Summer, the archetype mothers are all played out. Big Ma believes in home cooked meals, well pressed clothes, following traditions. Cecile is non-conformist, believes in poetic voice, freedom, creating art. Sister Makumba leads with kindness, providing nourishment, providing education, investing in community. Hirohito's mother took in the girls when Cecile was in jail. Mean Lady Ming yelled, but was completely unaffected by Vonetta calling her, "Mean Lady Ming," to her face, she supported the girl's cause. |
Finding the balance between complete reformation and tradition seems to be the focus of the political statement of the novel. Williams-Garcia creates a narrative within Delphine of trying to critically think between the traditional values she was raised with and the new ideals at play. Delphine doesn't want to blindly accept the center's values as her own, but questions some of Big Ma's values. Finding your own interpersonal political stance is an important element in all political fiction. In Fern, we see this play out most dramatically with the reveal of Brother Kelvin being a hypocritical snitch. | Photo used under creative commons: MuseumCa.org. |
How is it relevant as a political statement of today? I do not intend to speak to Williams-Garcia's intent, I have no idea where she stands in this political frustration many people are feeling with the state of police brutality/ looting/ rioting/ peaceful protest, etc. My guess is when we look at Delphine as the protagonist we can see that some action is required by all of us. That sticking with Big Ma's stay out of trouble is not going to be enough. Delphine recalled a trip she had taken with her father to Alabama and a run in with a police officer who called him a derogatory name, as a mother, I appreciated that Williams-Garcia didn't list that name. Delphine had been surprised that her father had not fought back like Cassius Clay. She had been surprised that he hadn't retold the story to Big Ma, he had only said same old, same old. In her journey, Delphine honored the peaceful protest. I appreciate this message, I cannot pretend to know what this will mean to other people, or even my own children. We all must decide our own path to fighting injustice. But in giving voice to little girls, Williams-Garcia is giving a voice to our children, telling them they must go through steps to critically think for themselves, and to decide when to stand firm on an issue.
photo used under creative commons from amigosdecain.blogspot.com | The case for Urban Fiction as the genre. In Urban Fiction, typically we see an urban environment, like say Brooklyn or Oakland. Typically, Urban Fiction depicts violence, sex, clearly not things that are depicted in One Crazy Summer. However, the main focus of Urban Fiction is it's voice to the socio-economic disparity witnessed in the urban environment. In that there is a case for One Crazy Summer as Urban fiction. Many of Delphine's concerns are financial. She wants to spend her money well, wants her sisters to have healthy meals. Vonetta is concerned about the difference between her attire and that of Janice and Eunice. Cecile is arrested for writing poems, if ever there was a case for Urban ideas, what better than "Freedom of Speech?" |
The urban environmental change from Brooklyn to Oakland depicts an awakening of cultural awareness in the girls.
The most important link to Urban Fiction is Cecile herself. She is not the loving mother, we want to see in children's books. (Hence my daughter calling this the Mean Mommy Story) However, some of her statements come out completely cruel:
The most important link to Urban Fiction is Cecile herself. She is not the loving mother, we want to see in children's books. (Hence my daughter calling this the Mean Mommy Story) However, some of her statements come out completely cruel:
I didn't send for you. Didn't want you in the first place. Should have gone to Mexico to get rid of you when I had the chance.
The cruelty of those words are lost even to the girls. With Delphine as the interrupter of Cecile's words the depiction to the child reader is that Cecile intended to put the girls for adoption. Under an adult audience's scrutiny we can interpret that she actually meant she should have aborted them.
When Cecile tells her story to Delphine, we understand the true depth of her situation. She had been homeless. She had on some level loved her daughter. She had been stuck. The true measure of an Urban Fiction story is that moment, the moment where a person has no good choices, all because of circumstances, social class and social injustice: All out of their control. |
Why the need to classify?
As a writer, I am more interested in how works break conventions. To me, the most substantial works in history can-not be classified as fitting into a single genre, yet our need to acknowledge these conventions and pigeonhole work seems universal. More often than not, when works of this complexity are placed on the shelf of the local book store, they are either lump summed into Adult fiction, Children's fiction or Classic titles, depending on their market place resonance. True artistry defies classification. Interesting work, is often a hybridization of genre and it defies categorization. When we read works like One Crazy Summer, we should stop worrying about where to put it on a bookshelf-- and start thinking about where we can apply those messages in our lives.