Brownies

by Z.Z. Packer

When the pride of the girls are hurt by the Brownie group 909, they take iit upon themselves to teach those girls a lesson.

Genres: Short Stories, School, Fiction, Read For School, Classics, College, American

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

ZZ Packer (born January 12, 1973) is an African-American author, notable for her works of short fiction. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky. Her given name is Zuwena (Swahili for "good"), but "After a while of teachers mispronouncing my name and everyone else in the world, I began introducing myself as ZZ, and it just kind of stuck". Recognized as a talented writer at an early age, her first significant publication was in Seventeen magazine at the age of 19. She is a 1990 graduate of Seneca High School, in Louisville, KY.

Reviews

[Berengaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Free PDF: https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories...

shortish review for busy readers:
Short story (published: 2000).
A Brownie troop (junior Girl Scouts) from a black neighbourhood of Atlanta, GA, attends summer camp for a week...and is shocked when Troop 909, full of little white girls, shows up, too.

Not believing they can share space peacefully, one of the girls claims the white girls called them the N-word and they should "teach them Caucasians a lesson". The joke's on them when it turns out Troop 909 is from a special needs school for the learning disabled and are docile in the extreme.

"Brownies" offers a realistic look at juvenile racism and the deep-seated feelings of being discriminated against that have nothing to do with current actions or people.

Excellent dialogue and often funny at times, esp in the invocation of religious adult women who often volunteer for troop leader jobs, and how easy it is to jump to conclusions about cute unicorn sleeping bags and hair "straight as spaghetti".

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Make new friends
But keep the old,
One is silver
And the other gold.
If most of the girls in my troop could be any type of metal, they’d be bunched up wads of tinfoil maybe, or rusty iron nails you had to get tetanus shots for.”

Having been a Girl Scout for my entire childhood, all the way up through 12th grade, this story spoke to my heart in so many ways – the truly cruel things that girls in awkwardly fitting, scratchy uniforms get up to, under the veneer of demureness; the power relationships in a troop; the pitch-perfect description of a camp bathroom. I was simultaneously elated and dejected that those memories were deep within me too, ready to be plumbed, but that someone else had found them before me, and shared them in a better way than I ever could.

The setup is simple: A Brownie troop of Black girls attends Camp Crescendo in Georgia, where they encounter what they call the "invaders," a troop of white girls. The story is told through Laurel, one of the girls in the Black troop. The white girls' appearances are observed in great detail, and equal parts jealousy and scorn ensue. The troop leader interprets everything the white girls do or say (at least what they thought they heard one of them say) as proof of their racism. Unrest is fomented. They begin planning a "lesson" for the white girls, debating the merits of various ideas that girls of their age might come up with – spiders in bunks, perhaps, or a good, old-fashioned beating.

The story climaxes in the camp bathroom, where the girls learn something that turns their presumption on its ear and inspires larger questions about the world and their place in it.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this! I think the hypocrisy that the girls engage in is really interesting. Their pride is hurt so they lash out, and when what they find out is not what they expected, they lash out even more out of embarrassment.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, I'm not into a short story, and then I get to my fiction workshop. We discuss it, and suddenly my eyes are open to all of these little details and nuances I missed because I treated the short story like one in an endless lists of readings.

Brownies was one of those stories for me. Upon discussion and reread, I saw how meticulous Packer is about her craft. As my professor said, it is really hard to write a great short story, but Packer knows how. She is able to juggle setting and multiple character development while exploring issues of race and privilege. Apparently, it's been years since she released a novel or short story collection, but I would be eager to read it. I'll definitely have to seek more of her work out.

[Megan Yu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for a class but wow. This hit hard. It's hard to read this and not be absorbed by memories of just how cruel children can be, especially to the quiet or the different. At the same time, it's hard not to be torn apart by the underlying currents of social conflict and tension that drive the emotions in this story - the dialogue was so powerful, and the ending so poignant.

[Casey Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ended in a very unexpected mood. But I felt it. It is one of those things you either get or don't. Definitely relevant for today's times.

[lyla55 · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Brownies’ by ZZ Packer is an insight into segregation and prejudice, told from a young girl’s perspective as their troop goes on a camping trip. On that trip, they encounter other troops- one of which standing out to them- white girls, with blonde hair and blue eyes. One of the girls ‘says’ that the girls on the other troop (the main character, Snot’s troop is predominately black) called another girl, Daphne, who keeps to herself, a name. Through this, Snot’s troop tries to ambush (although Snot does not want to comply) the girls, and finds out that they are special needs.

This book gives insight on how prejudice can go multiple ways. Snot’s troop bullied the girls because they are special needs, which is a form of ableism. The reader also gets to see the insight of systemic racism as well, and the desire of revenge with it.

The most interesting aspect is that Packer never gives us if the girl said the slur or not. I think it is so interesting, because there’s multiple factors in the story that support the claim or deny it.

However, I feel that Packer could have kept the plot more straightforward. She have an interesting writing style.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

While attending Camp Crescendo, the protagonist's brownie troop has decided to teach troop 909 a lesson they won't soon forget. Apparently one of the white girls from troop 909 has called one member of Snot's group the n-word. Egged on by Arnetta, the brownies plot their revenge, but when it's time to rumble, the brownies are met with an unexpected revelation about troop 909.

[Scott Done]

**read for short essay class**

[ems · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of those short stories so complete and perfect that when you finish them, you feel like you've read a whole novel.

[Amon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read for class and it was a brisk, kind of simplistic, but very pleasant read. (7/10).

[TimetoFangirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating = 3.25

I read this short story for a literature class and I'm so glad I did. It's well written and definitely qualifies as a modern classic that deals with how the ills of society are present in children.

So why the relatively low rating Fangirl? Excellent question.

This story is smart and insightful and worth reading but it's not particularly enjoyable and I didn't find myself sinking into the story. This is probably just a restriction given the length and how the author worked within it. I probably would've given a longer work that grew out of this story a higher rating.

[zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As I watched the trees blur, I wanted nothing more than to be through with it all: the bus ride, the troop, school—all of it. But we were going home. I’d see the same girls in school the next day. We were on a bus, and there was nowhere else to go.”

things are never as we want or think they should be just what they are.

[Sohail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story about how racism can come in different packages, and how some people are racist without even realizing it.
It's too blatant to be a valuable work of literature, but I like the information.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story about prejudice - possibly toward an African American brownie troop and definitely toward a white troop of girls. A great lesson about xenophobia in whatever form it is found. Recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Laura Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for class as a part of a characterization lesson and I can understand why. This story manages so many distinct characters in such a short amount of time. Packer does not waste any opportunity in description or dialogue to build bit by bit a clear image of these girls.

[Sieara DeLone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving story. Glad children are having these realizations

[Bethany Whetstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short story and the messages it has throughout.

[aj]

Read for Literature by Black Women

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it

[Melissa Steed-Qualls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of rich imagery and thick with metaphors. Made me a better writer.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the vivid details in this story!

[Campbell Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this short story for my fiction writing class but i enjoyed it. the point of view was insightful and the commentary about discrimination was something you don't see often.

[Brianna Naumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Gold Award recipient and former Girl Scout Council Delegate, reading Brownies by ZZ Packer was an absolute delight! Packer has a delightful sense of humor and a brilliant ability to utilize dialogue, melding both to flesh out characters and tell a story. I read Brownies shortly after I read Drinking Coffee Elsewhere.

Brownies follows the tale of a primarily black Brownie troop on a camping trip at Camp Crescendo. During the course of the trip, the black troop encounters Troop 909, an all-white troop, where one of the girls calls a member of the black troop a racial slur, to which the young girls in the black troop decide to take revenge that evening. It is later revealed that Troop 909 is a group of "developmentally disabled" girls. The girl who said the racial slur was echolalic. Through this plot, Brownies explores themes of racism and youth.

I thought Packer's use of point of view was very interesting. Brownies is narrated by one of the girls in the black troop who was given the nickname "Snot." This was a bold decision; Snot is too young to be a reliable narrator nor is she a main protagonist in the story. Brownies is told from the perspective of a side character, watching the more ambitious girls in her troop plan out revenge. I felt that, by using Snot's perspective, Packer forced us into the mind of an eight-year-old girl on a camping trip, watching all of this unfold before her with very little say in what happens.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this short story for a college English class and out of all the short stories I read in the class, I chose to write my final analysis on this one. What a powerful read that really leaves you thinking.

It is very easy to fall into a cycle of judgement, being judged and in return judging others. This story follows two groups of girl scout troops who end up judging each other, one unintentionally and one intentionally.

If you are looking for a short but powerful read that will leave you thinking about the world around us after the last sentence, I advise you to pick this up!

[Scott Brillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant story. Well told, by a girl named Snot, if I remember correctly. The ending is a zapper. Do yourself a favor and pick it up along with her collection: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere. Out of that collection, this was my favorite.

[Adalia]

“It rains and rains and rains in my heart.”


Brimming with poignant prose, Packer delivers an emotioanl wallop with “Brownies. She writes about a little girl who confronts the notion of race for the first time. Laurel, the main character, experiences a strong sense of disillusionment as she reflects upon the color of her skin.

Though Packer ends “Brownies” on a note of hope, Laura’s words are bitter. The ending is stunning, and “Brownies” is a memorable read.

“. . . and suddenly I knew there was something mean in the world that I could not stop.”

[Madi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story had me on the edge of my seat just waiting for the pin to drop and a fight to ensue- the ending was delightfully refreshing because it was nothing like I expected it to be.

[Jacob]

LIT 111: Short Story and the Novel