The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963

“I couldn’t believe my eyes! Byron’s mouth was frozen on the mirror! He was as stuck as a fly on flypaper!”

In the opening chapter, protagonist and narrator Kenny Watson discovers his brother, Byron, stuck to the icy side mirror of the family car. Byron, in a moment of cocky admiration for his own image, attempted to kiss himself and got stuck to the surface. Kenny runs for help; Dad laughs, Joey cries, and Momma eventually pulls Byron from the mirror by force.

“It’s no wonder the neighbors called us the Weird Watsons behind our backs.” 

Kenny reflects on what his family must look like to the neighborhood as Dad, Momma, Kenny, and Joey stand looking at Byron stuck to the car mirror, uncertain what to do. This line in Kenny’s interior monologue suggests that this is not the first time something out of the ordinary has happened to them as a family.

“But I was kind of surprised that God would send a saver to me in such raggedy clothes.” 

Here, Kenny means “savior,” a concept he learned at Sunday school. He is eager to be saved from teasing and bullying even if it is at the new student’s expense; Kenny sees great potential in Rufus’s appearance and demeanor as targets for students like Larry Dunn. Soon, though, it becomes clear that Rufus sees Kenny as a friend, and Kenny realizes he likes having a friend in Rufus as well.