Review by Kody Garis
1. Title: Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963by Sharon Robinson, 978-1-338-28282-5, New York, 2019, $16.00, 240 pages with 16-page photo insert.
2. Genre: Biography & Autobiography, Historical Nonfiction
3. Character: The main character and narrator of the story is young Sharon Robinson, daughter of famous baseball player Jackie Robinson. She is very eager to get involved in important social justice activities at the time. The story also includes her two brothers Jackie and David. Jackie is 16 years old, and has a hard time adjusting to being named after and compared to his father, and as such tends to rebel. David is younger than Sharon and tends to have a more child-like and optimistic view of the world. Her mother Rachel and her grandmother Zelle Islum both live in the house and share responsibility for being head matrons of the house. Their family friend and nanny Wilette is also mentioned frequently but has no speaking parts in the memoir. Another key character in the story is the family’s horse, Diamond.
4. Plot: It begins as Sharon describes the days before her 13thbirthday. She sets the scene in ensuring that the reader is well aware of her age and disposition. She explains her love for her horse Diamond and how she uses her time with the horse as an escape from reality, stating that she feels free and tall. As the story progresses, she reveals more about her family life and how her older brother Jackie is not doing so well in school and how he tends to get into a lot of trouble. It is also revealed that she and her older brother are part of the movement to integrate black students into previously segregated schools saying the she is one of two black girls in her grade. Throughout the book, more is revealed about the era and issues regarding race and society at the time in which Sharon recalls personal experiences in which she learned about things such as the Birmingham bombings. Sharon also explains how difficult it was for her to begin to get involved in the social justice movement; she says one of her major inspirations, but also biggest fears, was the march in Birmingham in which hundreds of children were jailed. The second half of the book contains more historical references including marches, people, and events. Sharon talks about her experience watching both her father and Dr. Martin Luther King speak at the March on Washington, and how that experience changed her and allowed her to further feel more comfortable in her own skin. The book includes a 16-page insert of family photos at events and times that are all discussed in the book. For example, Sharon describes fundraisers that their family would hold at their house in Connecticut, one of which Dr. King himself attended; pictures of events like that are included.
5. Touchy Areas: The book describes several issues and occurrences regarding race which include bombings, children being attacked by dogs, death, and racism.
6. Related Titles: Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Live By, Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinsons Changed America, andThe Hero Two Doors Down.
7. Movies: (1950) The Jackie Robinson Story
Music: “How I Got Over” by Clara Ward (1951)
Poem: “Jackie Robinson…An American Hero” by Stanley Cooper
Classic Work: America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan
Art: Jackie Robinsonby Carole Heslin
8. Evaluation: I thought this was both very informative and very entertaining to read. The way Sharon describes moving through life and coming into her own person while also figuring out how she can be a part of the biggest era of social justice movements was captivating. She explains her time meeting some of the most influential leaders of the movement such as Dr. King himself in a way that left me starstruck. She also spreads out the facts and informs people on litigation and lawmaking that was happening at the time while also reflecting on her and her family’s experiences with it. This would work well in both a history and a literature class. I give this book a 9/10.
1. Title: Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963by Sharon Robinson, 978-1-338-28282-5, New York, 2019, $16.00, 240 pages with 16-page photo insert.
2. Genre: Biography & Autobiography, Historical Nonfiction
3. Character: The main character and narrator of the story is young Sharon Robinson, daughter of famous baseball player Jackie Robinson. She is very eager to get involved in important social justice activities at the time. The story also includes her two brothers Jackie and David. Jackie is 16 years old, and has a hard time adjusting to being named after and compared to his father, and as such tends to rebel. David is younger than Sharon and tends to have a more child-like and optimistic view of the world. Her mother Rachel and her grandmother Zelle Islum both live in the house and share responsibility for being head matrons of the house. Their family friend and nanny Wilette is also mentioned frequently but has no speaking parts in the memoir. Another key character in the story is the family’s horse, Diamond.
4. Plot: It begins as Sharon describes the days before her 13thbirthday. She sets the scene in ensuring that the reader is well aware of her age and disposition. She explains her love for her horse Diamond and how she uses her time with the horse as an escape from reality, stating that she feels free and tall. As the story progresses, she reveals more about her family life and how her older brother Jackie is not doing so well in school and how he tends to get into a lot of trouble. It is also revealed that she and her older brother are part of the movement to integrate black students into previously segregated schools saying the she is one of two black girls in her grade. Throughout the book, more is revealed about the era and issues regarding race and society at the time in which Sharon recalls personal experiences in which she learned about things such as the Birmingham bombings. Sharon also explains how difficult it was for her to begin to get involved in the social justice movement; she says one of her major inspirations, but also biggest fears, was the march in Birmingham in which hundreds of children were jailed. The second half of the book contains more historical references including marches, people, and events. Sharon talks about her experience watching both her father and Dr. Martin Luther King speak at the March on Washington, and how that experience changed her and allowed her to further feel more comfortable in her own skin. The book includes a 16-page insert of family photos at events and times that are all discussed in the book. For example, Sharon describes fundraisers that their family would hold at their house in Connecticut, one of which Dr. King himself attended; pictures of events like that are included.
5. Touchy Areas: The book describes several issues and occurrences regarding race which include bombings, children being attacked by dogs, death, and racism.
6. Related Titles: Jackie’s Nine: Jackie Robinson’s Values to Live By, Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinsons Changed America, andThe Hero Two Doors Down.
7. Movies: (1950) The Jackie Robinson Story
Music: “How I Got Over” by Clara Ward (1951)
Poem: “Jackie Robinson…An American Hero” by Stanley Cooper
Classic Work: America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan
Art: Jackie Robinsonby Carole Heslin
8. Evaluation: I thought this was both very informative and very entertaining to read. The way Sharon describes moving through life and coming into her own person while also figuring out how she can be a part of the biggest era of social justice movements was captivating. She explains her time meeting some of the most influential leaders of the movement such as Dr. King himself in a way that left me starstruck. She also spreads out the facts and informs people on litigation and lawmaking that was happening at the time while also reflecting on her and her family’s experiences with it. This would work well in both a history and a literature class. I give this book a 9/10.
