Brown Girl Dreaming

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr

• The iconic speech from Martin Luther King, Jr. is a direct point of influence on Woodson’s memoir.
• “I Have a Dream” on SuperSummary

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

• another hybrid work that uses concrete poetry to look at gang violence in an inner-city community
• serves as a counterpoint to Woodson’s book and can help facilitate discussions on how The Meaning of Home shapes a person
• Long Way Down on SuperSummary

American Negro Poetry: An Anthology edited by Arna Bontemps

• Woodson claims this book as a key influence on her writing.
• This anthology is a seminal work that collects poets of the Harlem Renaissance and other important Black literary figures throughout the 20th century.

Other Student Resources

Cubberley Lecture Series Presents: An Evening with Jacqueline Woodson

• This interview features Woodson talking about her childhood education and several other topics relevant to Brown Girl Dreaming.
• provides useful context for Woodson’s memoir, particularly the theme of The Relation Between Struggle and Creativity

Jacqueline Woodson Transformed Children’s Literature. Now She’s Writing for Herself by Kat Chow

• This New York Times profile of Woodson delves into her writing goals and her relationship with Brooklyn, education, and other topics that recur in Brown Girl Dreaming.
• touches on both The Meaning of Home and Disparate Views on Tackling Racism in the author’s own words

Teacher Resources

Black Power Scholar Illustrates How MLK and Malcolm X Influenced Each Other

• This Fresh Air interview and accompanying article helps break down the philosophical similarities and differences between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
• provides important context on the civil rights movement that can be used to situate Woodson’s memoir in its historical moment, and illustrates Disparate Views on Tackling Racism

Understanding the American South

• This website provides many resources for teaching students about the American South, which may provide useful material for discussing the civil rights movement, Woodson’s grandparents, and other topics related to Disparate Views on Tackling Racism and The Meaning of Home.