Books › One crazy summer
One crazy summer
First published 2010 · 264 pages
A sun-baked, bittersweet journey of sisterhood, political awakening, and the complicated reality of meeting a mother who refuses to play the part.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping onto the sun-baked pavement of 1968 Oakland, guided by a narrator whose voice is as sharp as it is tender. The experience is deeply anchored in the perspective of a parentified older sister, blending wry humor with the quiet ache of longing for a mother who defies all expectations. It moves at a steady, immersive pace, allowing the vibrant backdrop of the Black Panther movement to naturally intersect with the intimate, everyday rhythms of sisterhood. The prose is accessible yet emotionally resonant, capturing the exact moment a child begins to see the adults in her life as flawed, complex people. It will deeply satisfy readers who love big-hearted, historically rich stories about finding your voice and your community.
- Mood
- sun-baked
- bittersweet
- vibrant
- nostalgic
- Tone
- wry
- observant
- poignant
- humorous
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- maternal abandonment · parentified children · political awakening · sisterhood and loyalty · finding one's voice
- The writing
- Anchored by a fiercely distinct, voice-driven narration that balances sharp, eleven-year-old observations with rich, immersive historical texture.
- The arc
- Moves from guarded resentment and heavy responsibility to a nuanced, bittersweet understanding of a deeply flawed mother and a newly awakened sense of self.
- Who it's for
- Readers who cherish unforgettable middle-grade narrators, complex family dynamics, and history experienced intimately through a child's eyes.
Content notes
- maternal abandonment
- racism
- police encounters
- parentification
About the book
Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.
Description from Open Library.
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