Brown Girl Dreaming – A Beautiful Surprise

When I first saw this book, I didn’t think I’d like it. It’s written in verse, and I usually go for stories with proper chapters, a plot, drama….the usual stuff that I prefer. But I tried this for a change, and I’m happy I did.

When I started reading, I thought it was going to be boring since it’s full of poems, and I don’t usually have a thing for poems. But then it didn’t feel like poems at all. Each word had a deep meaning. It felt like Jacqueline Woodson was just explaining it to me…telling her story in small pieces. Talking to me.

Read more Stories from the School

It’s about Jacqueline’s childhood growing up as a Black girl in America, moving between South Carolina and New York, and trying to figure out where she belongs. People had many expectations of her, but she just wanted to be herself. Sounds familiar, right?

What stuck with me the most was how writing became her escape, and her strength. It made me think about the stuff we do to feel okay when the world gets a bit too much. Although I wouldn’t add my response to it, but as a girl myself, who’s been criticized for many things, I felt an instant connection.

Some lines just made me think:-

“I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called now.”

It’s so simple, but it made me pause.

Another line that gave me the chills was:
“Even the silence has a story to tell you. Just listen. Listen.”

I was shocked, in a good way, each sentence was just words going deep, nothing hidden. I’ve re-read it a lot of times now.

The book also talks about tough issues — racism, family drama, which in my words could relate to all of us, different beliefs which have been passed on to us, a few of them not making sense at all. Heavy, weighty, sometimes dreadful things — but the concept of her book, it never feels too much. She explains things in a way that makes you think, not get overwhelmed.

I didn’t know much about Black history before, truly. I’ve just read them a couple of times in my textbooks. But now it made me feel intrigued. It made me care, it made me feel..Emotional.

You may wonder what’s the part that stayed with me, though in this book? The fact that she didn’t give up. Everyone told her she wasn’t good enough to be a writer. And she didn’t listen. She kept going, focusing on her dreams, even when it was hard. That’s something I admire, and feel we all should have the confidence to do so, because each dream, regardless of what it is, needs sacrifices, hope, and determination.

So, Brown Girl Dreaming surprised me. It wasn’t loud or action-packed like stories I usually prefer. But this mattered. It made me feel a lot, and honestly, it showed me that it’s okay to dream big, too.

I’d recommend it — especially if you think poems aren’t your thing. This one might change your mind, like mine.

Angel Sunny
Std. 9