My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement

Brown’s debut is a poignant collection of short stories that chronicles her upbringing in Selma, Ala., during the apex of the 1960s civil rights movement. The opening selection, “My Selma,” depicts Brown’s hometown as a beautiful place to grow up, populated by preachers, teachers, doctors, and candy store owners who make her life feel rich. Even so, Brown doesn’t shy away from painting a picture of a town where “white men and white women rode through Negro neighborhoods in posses,” terrorizing residents. Alongside this menacing element, Brown centers familial and community anecdotes, such as her family’s buying a home and navigating what their passive-aggressive white neighbor Mr. Randall calls a “changing” neighborhood. White Selma residents’ resistance to progress, and the civil rights movement taking place around them, grounds this intimate story in real-life events. By balancing personal struggles with racism with everyday joys of community, family, and resilience, Brown authentically imbues this clear-eyed tale with salient detail and historical resonance. As outlined in an introductory preface, Brown acknowledges that “everyone has his or her memories of a place and time when and where they lived,” and that this depiction of Selma is one that she “knew and loved.” Ages 10–14. (Jan.)