In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

"At first glance, Geniece's story sounds like that of a typical young woman: she goes to college, has romantic entanglements, builds meaningful friendships, and juggles her schedule with a part-time job. However, she does all of these things in 1960s San Francisco while becoming a militant member of the Black Panther movement. When Huey Newton is jailed in October 1967 and the Panthers explode nationwide, Geniece enters the organization's dark and...

With aplomb, restraint, and humor these stories look at Oakland, California, from the founding of the Black Panthers onward.

"The story of a young Haitian woman in California who becomes involved with the Black Panthers and discovers that being part of the revolution may not always mean equal justice for women"--

"En 1968, uno de los años más tumultuosos de la historia estaounidense reciente, tres niñas viajan a Oakland, California, en busca de la madre que las abandonó. Un verano loco es una historia inolvidable, divertida y conmovedora de Rita Williams-Garcia, distinguida autora de libros infantiles y juveniles." -- Back cover. Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their...