Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson | Book Review

“Poetic, memorable, and passionate.“

My summary

Jaqueline Woodson, or “Jackie,” always has a challenging life. Her parents often fought and eventually divorced when she was just a baby. Jacqueline spent most of her life in Greenville, South Carolina (Woodson’s mother’s hometown) with her grandparents. Then, she and her family moved to NY, and her mom got a baby brother called Roman. All in all, her life had many ups and downs, but she emerged from it as an esteemed writer.

My thoughts

This book is very family-oriented because it talks a lot about Woodson’s father’s side and a bit about her mother’s side (The Irby’s). Jacqueline Woodson powerfully described her family members; I felt the characters were very realistic and almost lifelike, but of course, they are real after all. Jacqueline’s older sister, Odella, is like me regarding books.

I read bits of the book at school, and I didn’t understand what was happening. But I wanted to read more by myself and the whole book. So I borrowed the book from the library. I learned about Jehovah’s witnesses, the prejudice she faced growing up, etc. The chapters are swift, and the text is written in verse.

My rating

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About the author

“Jacqueline is the author of nearly thirty books for young people and adults. Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir BROWN GIRL DREAMING won the 2014 National Book Award and was a NY Times Bestseller.” – Amazon.

More by the author

• Feathers; Read my review here.
• Red at the Bone: A Novel 
• Before the Ever After