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.