Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming is a poetic masterpiece that unfolds the author's childhood in a beautifully woven narrative of words. The memoir-in-verse takes us on a journey through Woodson's early years, exploring her experiences growing up as an African American girl in the 1960s and 1970s.

The book is a lyrical celebration of identity, family, and the power of words. Woodson's storytelling is not just a recollection of memories; it's a poetic exploration of self-discovery and the search for belonging. Through her vivid and evocative poems, she paints a picture of the places and people that shaped her world – from Ohio to South Carolina and, finally, to the vibrant streets of Brooklyn.

The novel gracefully captures the essence of Woodson's coming-of-age, touching on themes of racial identity, the Civil Rights Movement, and the importance of literature in shaping one's perspective. The language is both simple and profound, making it accessible to readers of all ages while still carrying a depth that lingers in the heart.

Woodson's family plays a central role in the narrative, and her relationships with her siblings, parents, and grandparents add a layer of warmth and authenticity to the story. The memoir invites readers to reflect on their own roots, fostering a sense of shared humanity and understanding.

One of the remarkable aspects of this book is its ability to transport readers to a specific time and place. The poetic prose invites you to step into Woodson's shoes, feel the rhythm of her life, and experience the challenges and triumphs alongside her.

Brown Girl Dreaming is a poignant and beautifully crafted memoir that resonates with readers on a profound level. Jacqueline Woodson's poetic voice invites us into her world, leaving an indelible mark on the heart. It's a book that not only tells a personal story but also serves as a testament to the universal journey of self-discovery. Whether you're a poetry enthusiast or just looking for a touching and insightful memoir, this is a must-read that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

A slim biography of Jacqueline’s childhood in the 60s and 70s told in vignettes (most blurbs describe this book as poetry). The main focus is the contrast between country life with her grandmother in the deep south and living with her mother in New York City. It was such a charged time in term of race and racial justice, and looking at it from a child’s perspective felt really fresh.

4/5 for this life in beautiful, lyrical prose.

It will make you so angry, so sad, so frustrated but also, so hopeful and so optimistic. It should be on the school curriculum IMO.

A beautifully written book which eloquently tells of growing up black in America in the 60s. Despite the difficult times the author was growing up in it is a testament to life, love and the importance of family. An uplifting read.

This an autobiography written by Jacqueline Wilson in verse, it recounts her formative years during the 1960s, where she navigated a diverse range of environments, splitting her time between Ohio, South Carolina, and eventually New York. The distinct regions she lived in gave her a wide range of experiences, each steeped in its own distinct culture. This rich tapestry of backgrounds enabled Ms. Woodson vividly depicts her journey, especially in relation to the transformative civil rights movement, spanning across various social landscapes and geographical landscapes.

The story is beautifully written and I think would be appreciated by readers of all ages.

This book is a Newberry Medal winner for a reason and why did I take so long to read it? Just brilliant. A story written in poetry… and absolutely packed with emotions. A memoir, of Jaqueline Woodson’s childhood growing up between Southern Carolina and New York. An African American childhood, during the Civil Rights Movement. And another book to add to our school reading pile.

Jaqueline Woodson has the skill to create poetry through her childhood eyes. The poems are beautifully written, you will want to linger longer and ponder about a life that was lived. An incredibly beautiful book and one that we would read again and again.

A powerful, heart-expanding novel in verse and one everyone needs to read. I was so happy to see this being published in the UK! The writing is magnificent and the themes it touches on are just so important.

Brown Girl Dreaming is a novel told in verse by author Jacqueline Woodson. It discusses the author's childhood as an African American growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this wonderful book).

This auto-biography is homely, warm and full of childhood nostalgia. Set in 1960's America, it follows Jackie's account of her siblings and family as the world around them begins to change. As they get uprooted from South Carolina to New York by their mother, Jackie documents their new way of life with family and community very much at the centre of her story.
I immediately loved how the accounts of Jackie's grandparents, siblings, food and culture reminded me of my own childhood, making the similarities overpower the differences. There's love and grief and challenge and struggle all told through the eyes of a child, with the sensory detail that a child observes. I absolutely loved Jackie's grandparents and wider family, the simplistic descriptions of her siblings and her love for them despite them each being different characters.
The reality of a new life in New York was really interesting and mainly positive, although the segregation was clear. I loved the air of possibility that the novel was left on - all the things that the future could hold. It's a novel thay draws you into someone else's world and then hugs you for being part of it. What a priviledge!

In Brown Girl Dreaming, Woodson shares the story of her life - growing up between Greenville, South Carolina and Brooklyn with her grandparents, mother, and three siblings, facing racism and experiencing the Civil Rights movement, struggling with reading, and finding her love for writing.

The message I appreciate most here is that of duality - it's an essential concept, but I think many of us forget that two opposing factors can be true simultaneously. In fact, it's this very idea that allows us to have a deeper understanding of ourselves and life in general.

"I believe in God and evolution. I believe in the Bible and the Qur'an. I believe in Christmas and the New World. I believe that there is good in each of us no matter who we are or what we believe in. I believe in the words of my grandfather. I believe in the city and the South, the past and the present. I believe in Black people and White people coming together. I believe in nonviolence and 'Power to the People.' I believe in my little brother's pale skin and my own dark brown. I believe in my sister's brilliance and the too-easy books I love to read. I believe in my mother on a bus and Black people refusing to ride. I believe in good friends and good food. I believe in johnny pumps and jump ropes, Malcolm and Martin, Buckeyes and Birmingham, writing and listening, bad words and good words - I believe in Brooklyn! I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now."

This is the most poetic and memorable autobiography I've ever read. It is no surprise that this won the National Book Award. Red at the Bone was a 5-star read for me, and I devoured this book in two sittings. Now I'm busy researching all of Woodson's books so I can choose and start the next one!

I’m so excited that Brown Girl Dreaming is finally receiving a UK publication and getting the attention it deserves across the pond!

Written in verse, Woodson’s poetic autobiographical account of her childhood takes us on a lyrical journey across time, space and place in a United States in the grip of the Civil Rights Movement. An African-American girl born in 1963, her story incorporates her lived experiences of segregation and racism in the South Carolina of her maternal grandparents, but also of community, togetherness and love, which permeated her youth and allowed her emergent passion for writing to flourish.

The book is such an intimate and joyous account of Woodson's young years that the reader comes to cherish her family just as much as she evidently does. The descriptions of her life with her grandmother, her grandfather “Daddy”, and her siblings in Nicholtown, Greenville, were so visceral and stirringly beautiful that you feel present on the dusty red-earthed streets, or on the swing-set in the garden amongst the fruit and vegetable patches, or at Daddy’s bedside as he slowly coughs his life away.

The book is marketed towards young adults, but it has such a sense of maturity and a gravity about it that I believe all generations will thoroughly enjoy it.

Brown Girl Dreaming was on my TBR list after hearing such positive reviews from readers in the US and it was everything I'd hoped for and more.

It’s an autobiographical verse novel about Jacqueline’s childhood in Ohio, South Carolina and New York. In many ways, this seemed a world away from my life in Scotland as she described the heat and the food and the ways her proud and intelligent family found to navigate racism and segregation. This window into a different life was what drew me to Brown Girl Dreaming but in the end my favourite aspects of the book were points of commonality. She brilliantly describes a childhood friendship that develops into a lifelong bond and the experience of feeling an overwhelming love from her grandparents. Her beautiful descriptions of the power of stories and good teachers and the magic of learning to read and write will also resonate with other readers from all parts of the world.

I’d highly recommend this to everyone and especially if you enjoy rich and evocative verse or YA novels such as The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Moonrise by Sarah Crossan or Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

I have read and enjoyed a couple of Jacqueline Woodson's book in the past so was immediately drawn to this one. I thought my daughter would enjoy this one but thought it was one we would read together as I suspected a memoir told in verse might be too much for her to read independently at almost nine. I was wrong. I downloaded this book for her the other night when she was going to bed as she wanted to try it. I snuck into her room a couple of hours later to retrieve my kindle and she sat up in bed and deplored me not to take it away, she was almost finished and she wouldn't be able to sleep unless she did. Despite it being a school night, I left her too it, remembering that feeling as a child when you find a book that completely enthralls you, how could I not.

She absolutely loved this memoir of Woodson growing up in South Carolina and New York in the 1960's and 70s looking for her place in the world and how her writing helped her find it. Her love of stories and writing really resonated with my daughter. My daughter has learned a little about the Civil Rights Movement in school and through other books and she loved reading about it from a child's perspective at that time. She asked to google and has been reading more over the last two days since reding Brown Girl Dreaming.

The language and verse is really accessible and made for a very different read to the books she usually consumes, she loved it. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this one, I have only read the first pages and it is one I will buy in paperback for our shelves and buy as gifts. My daughter has not stopped talking about it and I can see the impact this book had on her.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and to author for writing.

Engrossing memoir of Afro-American youth in verse living through momentous times.

Living in the UK, I hadn't heard of this title, but could see it's widely acclaimed over in America and knew it would be something very worthwhile to spend time with.

And it was. A memoir of a childhood, told in verse that does make it feel like a child's voice and perspective, Jacqueline shows us so many sides of America in the era of civil rights and Jim Crow, moving from Ohio to South Carolina dn finally to New York, she and her siblings experienced many different faces of a changing society.

Ending before she even reaches adolescence, readers watch her single mother raise four children by accepting the help of grandparents, we see the family still preferring to move to the back of a bus in certain areas of the country, we see siblings succeeding in school and a future writer finding a love of words and a direction even at a young age.

It was poignant and illuminating. And definitely a read for those even outside of America.

For ages 9-14.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.