The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 - Novelinks.pdfVIP

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis Random House, October 1997 Concept/Vocabulary Analysis Literary Text: The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis Plot Summary Kenny and his family, the Watsons, live in Flint Michigan where the winters are almost too cold for them to stand. Kenny has two siblings, a little sister, Joetta, and an older brother, Byron. While Byron is the “god” of Clark Elementary school, Kenny is often made fun of because he enjoys reading, is very intelligent, and has a lazy eye. The other students, and even Byron, refer to Kenny as “Poindexter.” When a new boy, Rufus, moves in, Kenny thinks his problems have been solved by someone who is even easier to make fun of than he is. But to his surprise, they become close friends. Through learning to understand Rufus and through learning from a serious mistake, Kenny learns the meaning of true friendship. Byron, on the other hand, follows the path of a juvenile delinquent, bulling Kenny and failing several grades. Unable to find a way to control him, Dad and Momma decide to take the family on a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to put him in the care of Grandma Sands. Once in Birmingham, Byron’s behavior starts to improve, but, after getting caught in a whirlpool in a pond he was warned not to swim in, Kenny takes a turn for the worst. The novel reaches its climax when a church in Birmingham is bombed, killing four black childr