A Glimpse Inside The Watsons Go To Birmingham and The Green Book Summer Reading

The summer reading for ages 8-12 will be The Watsons Go to Birmingham, written by Christopher Paul Curtis, and the resource for ages 13-18 is The Green Book, which got its name from The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel Guide. The Survivor’s Guide was published by Victor H. Green. The movie, The Green Book, was directed by Peter Farrelly in 2018, and featured main characters, Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen. We do not recommend the movie without parental consent, supervision, and/or guidance.

Both the book and the Travel guide will focus on the Civil Rights era, the 1950s and 1960s. The themes that run through these books are those embedded in situations which existed in the South prior to, during, and after the Civil War. Travel during the Civil Rights Era was at one's own risk due to Racial Discrimination, Jim Crow Laws, Lynching, etc. Schools, businesses, and religious establishments were segregated. In 1963, the nation witnessed the 16th Street Bombing of little Black children in Birmingham, Alabama. Today, we witness violent acts based on themes of the book, such as Racism/Racial Hatred, which has again reared its ugly head. During this read, we will also explore Bullying and Family and Communal Relations.

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In The Watsons Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis, and The Green Book, by Victor H. Green, we will explore travel through the deep South, get a first-hand view of the people and places which existed during those times, and compare them to the times in which we live.

The FINAL Project will be Researched-based for both groups (A Colorful Brochure or Traveler's Guide highlighting sites and landmarks in the South). As we explore travel in the deep South, we will also introduce the participants to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and have special Gullah presentations from Voices from the Carolina Low Country, as another component of the research.