While set against historical events of the 1960s - namely the 1963 bombing of of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham - the characters in The Watsons Go to Birmingham are fictional. Together from the start of the story, the central figures throughout the story are the five members of the Watson family. As the story progresses, though, readers meet other children who live in Flint and later more characters in Birmingham.
The "Weird" WatsonsNeighbors supposedly call the story's family the "Weird Watsons" behind their backs. The family's quirks, though, are not really to be disparaged. They are what make the characters so relatable to readers. Barker (2010) notes how Curtis utilizes "a low key emphasis on race," instead "ground[ing] readers within the world of the novel, drawing them into identification with the Watsons through depictions of everyday family life, an earthy focus on bodily functions, and humor. Readers of all colors can relate to the family dynamics" (p. 133). The Watsons are rendered "very human, easy to laugh with, relate to, and care about" (p. 135), and this helps readers develop empathy for them before racial conflict is introduced.
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Flint Kids
In Birmingham
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Images
- Family image: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2866296/
- Kenneth image: https://www.emaze.com/@ALCOCFZT/The-WATSONs'-go-to
- Daniel image: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham/photos/
- Wilona image: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham/photos/
- Byron image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/164451823866849224/
- Joetta image: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham/photos/
- Movie poster image: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2866296/