"I am born in Ohio but the stories of South Carolina already run like rivers through my veins." In her free-verse memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson shares what it was like growing up Black in the midst of the civil rights movement, having an absentee father, having a beloved uncle who goes to prison, is released, has become a Muslim. She talks about growing up Jehovah's Witness, hearing rhythm and music in the words she hears at the Kingdom Hall, and having doubts about her faith. She remembers noticing the differences between being Black in her home in the North, and Black in her grandparents' home in the South. Woodson's recollections of her childhood are powerful, even when sharing simple moments.…