Conversation as Frida Adler

 Hi Frida,

My name is Ita Grynbaum. Times are tough for me. I am battling typhus.

I am working in a labor camp with not ideal conditions. How are you doing? Did anyone escape the arrest?

I would love to get to know you. 

Ita 

 

Hi Grynbaum! I'm really sorry to hear that times are rough for you right now.

I hope you recover from Typhus soon. It makes me really sad to hear that you're working in a labor camp.

Is your family there too? When was the last time you saw them, if not? I haven't seen my family since I was a teenager,

but I think my father might have survived the arrest upon hearing new information although I have no memory

of it taking place. 

-Frida 

 

Frida,

My father died when I was younger.

I miss him dearly. It was so unexpected.

One morning he did not wake up. I remember that day vividly.

My mother is here with me in this camp. It is quite scary. I hope she does not contract this illness.

Many people have been dying. 

 

Grynbaum, 

I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I miss my family dearly too. I wish we could be reunited.

I hope your mom doesn't get the illness either, and I hope that you are able to escape the labor camp soon.

I wish there was something I could do to help.

 

Thank you for your kind words Frida. I have been quite lonely here. I hope the best for you. 

You too, I'm glad we got to know each other! I hope things get better for you soon!

Brown Girl Dreaming the Movie

Hi Everyone! While reading this book, I was constantly envisioning what it would look like as a film! I thought it would be really fun to share some parts of the book that I think would be really interesting to watch in a movie version of this memoir. 

To begin, yes... I would definitely watch this movie if it was one! I think it would be super interesting to view the Civil Rights Movement era through the unique perspective of young Jacqueline Woodson. 

Here are some chapters and quotes that I think would be really intriguing, engaging, eye-opening, and educational to view in a movie form. 

1. I think the chapter called second daughter's second day on earth would be such an interesting part of the movie as it sets the time period, discrimination, and gives an introduction to major people that had a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement. One quote from this chapter that really made me curious and want a better visual (through a movie) was "I am born brown-skinned, black-haired and wide-eyed. I am born Negro here and Colored there and somewhere else, the Freedom Singers have linked arms, their protests rising into song: Deep in my heart, I do believe that we shall overcome someday" (Woodson 3-4). I thought this quote was so interesting and I think it could be portrayed in such a unique way because it gives details about Jacqueline Woodson's life but also intertwines important historical people and events. 

2. The second chapter I think would be interesting to watch if this was a movie would be the chapter called baby in the house. In this chapter, Roman gets sick from eating the paint off the walls and gets lead poisoning, and has to go to the hospital. I think this is a really sad reality of the time period the events in this memoir took place in. Many babies and young children used to get sick and/or die from lead poisoning and I think watching this part in the movie would be a really engaging way to be educated on the matter. Although this would be a sad part of the movie, I think it would be a visually captivating part. In addition, I think watching this situation take place through a child's perspective would be even more interesting. For example, the quote, "And for many days after that, there is no baby in our house and I am finally the baby girl again, wishing I wasn't" (Woodson 188). This quote is captivating to me because I think it's a really unique way to look at the situation. Woodson expresses a sense of what I interpreted as relief from being the baby again, but then the feeling of sadness overweighed it almost entirely. I think this scene would be a really interesting part of "the movie". 

3. Another chapter I would LOVE to see visually represented in a movie version of this book would be the chapter power to the people. I think this chapter is so empowering and as a reader, I can really feel the sense of belonging and power that a young African American girl would feel during the time from watching such a strong female role mole fight for what they believe in--something that would change the world for the better and benefit them, their families, and friends personally. I think one quote that really stands out to me that I think would be so powerful in a move would be, "She is beautiful and powerful and has my same gap-tooth smile. We dream of running away to California to join the Black Panthers the organization Angela is a part of"( Woodson 302). I think this quote is so moving and relatable in a sense, as I think the feeling can be applied to other situations. This would be really powerful to watch in my opinion. 

4. Lastly, another chapter that really impacted my reading experience with this book was the one called every wish, one dream. I think this chapter would be amazing to visually see happen. I think it would make it even more of a moving part of Jacqueline's life if I were able to really watch it happen in a movie. A quote that I want to visually watch Jacqueline discover her identity and really find herself would be, "What did you wish for? To be a writer"(Woodson 313). I love this part of the book because I feel like this is where the readers really get to see Jacqueline find herself. I think this part of her life would be so empowering and satisfying to visually see happen. 

All in all, this book (in my opinion) had a lot of really amazing chapters and aspects to it that I would love to be able to visually see take place in the form of a movie. The above chapters were just some of my favorites that I think would be so interesting to watch. 

Thanks for reading! :)

What About Brown Boy Dreaming?

In the book Brown Girl Dreaming, the main character Jacqueline Woodson is a girl that was born during the Civil Rights Movement and faces many hardships that took place during that time period. 

I wonder... would Jacqueline have had the same experiences and life journey if she were a boy? How would the treatment she had received differ? Would it have been better? Would it have been worst? What would her life have been like instead if she were a boy? Would "he" have had a better/worst life overall? 

Did anyone else wonder this when reading? Or was it just me haha?

There was one specific part of the book where I found myself wondering about this and it was in the chapter called "a girl named jack".  My curiosity sparked right here at the title. Well, why would they want to name a girl a typical boy's name, Jack? I thought as soon as I glanced at the title. Upon reading further I realized it was the father that wanted her name to be Jack. I thought about this for a second... Was it just because he wanted her to be named after him? Maybe, but I think not. I continued to read the chapter and stumbled upon the words of her father that read, "Name a girl Jack"... "and she can't help but grow up strong"(Woodson 6). I thought about this sentence for quite some time. Would a male that lived during the Civil Rights Movement be a stronger figure than a woman? Would a man living during this time period face fewer hardships than a woman because of his strength? I started to wonder about what Jacqueline's life would be like if she were born a boy instead. First, I think the perspective and language of this book would be completely different. While reading it, the words carry a feminine ring to them as they leave the pages of the book and enter my mind. Second, I think the style of the book would have been written differently. I think it would have been written in large chapters with no poetry, but hardly language to really shown the struggle of the 1960s. I also think there would have been illustrations to help the reader picture what was going on. Lastly, I think the experiences that Jacqueline had would have been completely different if she was of the male gender instead. I think her life would have been a completely different story. I'm not sure exactly what that story would look like, but I think it would be really interesting to read that perspective as well.