McKissack, Patricia C. 2001. Goin' Someplace Special. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
ISBN: 0-689-81885-8
Summary
Finally, Mama Frances allows 'Tricia Ann to venture to Someplace Special all by herself. Along the way, she is reminded of the Jim Crow laws by the "white only" signs or by comments made by people. Contemplating going home, she remembers all the things Mama Frances has told her. After regaining her composure, she continues on, reaching her special destination--the public library.
Critical Analysis
In Goin' Someplace Special, the author, Patricia McKissack does an excellent job portraying the main character, 'Tricia Ann, as a sweet, determined, and impressionable young girl who is deeply hurt when she experiences racism.
McKissack's setting is appropriate for a story about segregation: a southern town in the 1950's. A specific town's name is never mentioned, but the southern locality can be verified through the mention of the Jim Crow sign: Whites Only. The mention of Jim Crow is the first clue in the text that this is a story about an African-American. The main cultural markers in this story revolve around the main plot line, which is 'Tricia Ann encounter with the Jim Crow law. One example would be when Mrs. Grannell explains to 'Tricia Ann, "Those signs can tell us where to sit, but they can't tell us what to think." Another example would be when 'Tricia Ann notices the signs again when she sits on the bench at the park. The last, and most difficult situation 'Tricia Ann experiences, is when she is shooed out of the hotel lobby, with a man saying, "No colored people allowed!"
However, McKissack does possibly provide subtle African-American language markers. For example, "Carry yo'self proud" and "I'm gon' think..." are two phrases found early in the story, but these types of phrases could just be a southern language pattern, rather than strictly African-American. Throughout the rest of the text there are a few subtle language patterns, but nothing that is blatant African-American.
Additionally, the illustrations by Jerry Pinkney are clear African-American cultural markers. The characters struggling with the Jim Crow law are portrayed as a dark-skinned. For example, there is apparent skin differences between 'Tricia Ann and the crowd in the hotel lobby. Pinkney does show skin variations between the dark-skinned characters, too. The street vendor, Jimmy Lee is darker skinned than 'Tricia Ann, making the reader aware of shade variations among African-Americans.
The ease of the linear plot, the depth of the main character, and the details of the superb illustrations, makes Goin Someplace Special an outstanding story to help children better understand African-Americans' frustration and pain endured during segregation.
Review Excerpts
Mary Elam in School Library Journal reports, "In an eye-opening journey, McKissack takes the child through an experience based upon her own personal history and the multiple indignities of the period....Pinkney re-creates the city in detailed pencil-and-watercolor art angled over full-page spreads, highlighting the young girl with vibrant color in each illustration. A thought-provoking story for group sharing and independent readers."
Emilie Coutler with Amazon.com states, "Drawing on her own Nashville childhood, Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia C. McKissack (The Dark- Thirty) brings the injustices of segregation to life in this bittersweet picture book. Illustrator Jerry Pinkney, four-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and four-time Caldecott Honor Medalist, captures the spirit of the '50s with his lovely watercolors."
Reviews accessed from http://www.amazon.com/.
Connections
Goin' Someplace Special would be an excellent glimpse of young, African-American girl's life during the segregation era. Other books to read on similar subjects would be:
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
Abby Takes a Stand by Patricia McKissack
Dear Mr. Rosenwald by Carole Boston Weatherford
Rosa Parks by Eloise Greenfield
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