(INWB) Lesson Topic 1: Ready to Read

In this course, we will read and analyze the novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. We will examine the time period during the Civil Rights movement and the tension occurring during the 1960s in the South. Students should obtain a copy of the novel for this course. 

Novel Summary of The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

The first part of the book is set in Flint, Michigan, with the narrator, Kenny, introducing his family, the "Weird Watsons." His family has his dad, his mom, older brother Byron and younger sister Joetta. This section is largely a description of the Watsons' family life: Byron kissing his reflection in a car mirror in January and freezing his lips to the chilled glass, Kenny's friend LJ stealing all of Kenny's toy dinosaurs, the countrified new kids at school, and Byron's slide into friendship with the bad element in town. This last turn of events prompts the main conflict in the story, as Byron's behavior worsens. Ultimately, he is caught again playing with matches, despite repeatedly being warned against doing just this.

At this point, the family decides Byron should live with his Grandma Sands in Alabama for the summer, partly because she's a strict disciplinarian but also because the parents believe Birmingham is safer than Flint. However, when the grandmother's church is bombed, the family returns home, with Byron to avoid explaining the full implications of what has happened to the children.

Kenny, having never encountered racism of this magnitude before, could not process what had happened--he ran to the church moments after the bombing took place as he believed his sister to be in the building and saw the aftermath. Byron does his best to help Kenny understand what has happened, as the parents are reluctant to explain.

Meet the Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Christopher Paul Curtis is an American children's author and a Newbery Medal winner who wrote The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 and the critically acclaimed Bud, Not Buddy. Bud, Not Buddy is the first novel to receive the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery Medal. His book Elijah of Buxton (winner of the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newbery Honor) is set in a free Black community in Ontario founded in 1849 by runaway slaves.

How to Acquire the Novel

There are several options for obtaining the novel. Students can obtain an audio download, a tablet download, or a paperback version of the novel. Please contact your instructor if you have questions about acquiring a copy of the novel.

How Do I Prepare to Read?

Reading requires preparation. Planning ahead when reading a novel can keep students on track, so they do not get behind on the reading. Students will be required to finish The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 three weeks before the end of the semester. 

The instructor will approve the reading schedule and help make necessary changes to the student's schedule. You will be required to stick to this reading schedule. 

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