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    Willie Mae Brown’s My Selma explores civil rights movement

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    By Jessica on January 19, 2023 ages 10 & up, black history, Middle Grade, seasonal
    My SelmaMY SELMA: TRUE STORIES OF A SOUTHERN CHILDHOOD AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, by Willie Mae Brown, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Jan. 3, 2023, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 10-14)

    Author Willie Mae Brown shares her remembrances in My Selma: True Stories of A Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement.

    As the civil rights movement and the fight for voter rights unfold in Selma, Alabama, many things happen inside and outside the Brown family’s home that do not have anything to do with the landmark 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Yet the famous outrages which unfold on that span form an inescapable backdrop in this collection of stories. In one, Willie Mae takes it upon herself to offer summer babysitting services to a glamorous single white mother ― a secret she keeps from her parents that unravels with shocking results. In another, Willie Mae reluctantly joins her mother at a church rally, and is forever changed after hearing Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a defiant speech in spite of a court injunction. —Synopsis provided by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

    My Selma tells the story of a 12-year-old growing up during the civil rights movement. Willie Mae comes across as a bright, inquisitive kid, and it’s interesting to see how events unfolded through her eyes.

    Unfortunately, because of formatting, some readers won’t even pick it up, and others may find themselves struggling throughout.

    My Selma is told through a sort of stream of consciousness writing style that gives a disorganized feel to the book. The events are not presented in a linear fashion, and there are a lot of characters. Reading it as an adult, I can appreciate how memories come in this scattered way, by younger readers may find themselves lost or discouraged. The vernacular of Brown’s Southern upbringing may also be a challenge, but should be easier to overcome.

    For these reasons, I recommend My Selma as a classroom book that is read together and with lots of discussion.

     

    Copyright © 2023 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.

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    Jessica
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    Jessica Harrison is the main reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. Prior to creating Cracking the Cover, Jessica worked as the in-house book critic for the Deseret News, a daily newspaper in Salt Lake City. Jessica also worked as a copy editor and general features writer for the paper. Following that, Jessica spent two years with an international company as a social media specialist. She is currently a freelance writer/editor. She is passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices.

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