Gone Crazy in Alabama

"Gone Crazy in Alabama" is the third book in the series that follows sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern. In the first book, "One Crazy Summer," the girls travel to Oakland in the late 1960s to visit the mother who abandoned them when they were little. "P.S. Be Eleven" finds the girls back in Brooklyn adjusting to their father's new wife and their uncle's return from Vietnam. "Gone Crazy in Alabama" has the girls visiting their grandmother and great-grandmother in Alabama.All three books weave historical moments throughout the plot, but the plot is not dependent on any one event like another one of my favorite books, "The Watsons go to Birmingham: 1963." The girls interact with the Black Panthers in Oakland, fall in love with the Jackson 5 in Brooklyn, and watch the Apollo 11 moon launch on their grandmother's TV. The historical elements provide flavor and context and add a richness to the story that is very endearing.Delphine, the oldest sister, is the primary protagonist. While the books don't necessarily have to be read in order, it helps, if for no other reason than to see how Delphine has grown, how she treats her sisters and how her complicated relationship with her mother progresses.Delphine's mother, Cecile, in this, the third book, continues to be one of the most interesting characters I have found in a middle grade novel. Both passionate and aloof, sane and insane, her relationship with her daughters is fascinatingly complex."Gone Crazy in Alabama" is probably my least favorite of the series, though it is saved in part by the final third of the book which involves a crisis that, unlike a 30 minute sitcom, is not solved immediately.I can only hope that Rita Williams-Garcia has more stories for us with Delphine, Vonetta and Fern.

I have fallen in love with Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, the Gaither Sisters. I was late discovering this series for "Middle Grades" with great historical lessons.It started with "One Crazy Summer," with the sisters visiting their wayward mother in Oakland, CA. Then the aftermath and return home to Brooklyn in "P.S. Be Eleven."The latest installment is "Gone Crazy in Alabama" when Pa sends the girls "Down South" to meet the relatives on the farm. I so much enjoyed the voices of the girls as they complete each others' explanations in an almost poetic harmony. They remind me so much of my middle sister, my niece, and me.I was so charmed that everytime I opened the book at the next chapter, I couldn't hold back the smile on my face. Their adventures, learning the family history, helping gather the fresh eggs, and help milk the cow reminded me of days in Forsythe, Georgia, so long ago.I was happy just reminiscing until something went terribly wrong, when I found myself in the middle of the night, with an unexpected page-turner. No spoilers here. You have to read it for yourself.Rita Williams-Garcia is a winner.

Gone Crazy In Alabama by Rita Williams Garcia is about the complicated relationships in an extended Southern family. It is written for young reader. The story of the relationships is given to the reader in a wonderful easy to read narrative as children of the family from the city cross the creek between houses as they visit everyone. The children are introduced to the concept of the KKK where the white members of the extended family wear sheets at night and terrorize the black members of the family. The family comes together to find a child that was lost in a tornado so there is a real focus on the family and how everyone gets along. It explores what it means to be a member of a family. It lays out some of the complications of race relationships in a small town.I enjoyed reading the story. The writing is excellent and the story telling is superb. I’ve met some of these people in my time in the South. The South is a place of wonderful characters and complicated relationships. I give it a five out of a possible five.

Can't get enough of my little country gals... Delphine, Vonetta and Afua aka Fern!!!I didn't actually read the book, my daughter did... but with constant communication I could almost feel as if I was in the setting with the little girls. Their mom, Cecile aka Nzila... their grandma, Big Ma and uncle Darnell all came to life to me. Every little black girl need to read these books!!One Crazy SummerGone Crazy in AlabamaP.S Be ElevenWe love us some Rita Williams-Garcia!! Please write a book with the girls going to live with their mom... that would be epic!!

I loved the girls, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern with their individual personalities. They seemed so real that I was sad when the book ended. The setting for the first book in the series began with 1969 and the last moved into 1970. I remember those years as a young adult starting my first teaching assignment. This book, Gone Crazy in Alabama, was the last in the series. It was actually my favorite because it highlighted the family history and became an inter generational transmission of the culture from the southern Alabama roots of the family elders to the young Gaither girls from Brooklyn. The salvation of the African American family will come from the reconnection to its roots which have always sustained our strong branches.

great series would highly recommend you buy them together! My daughter couldn't put them down!