Christopher Paul Curtis
By: Lauren Barrick and Samantha Gabel
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About the Author
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan Christopher Paul Curtis has always had a love for writing. He graduated from Flint Southwest High School and then went on to college at Flint University of Michigan. While attending college in the evenings, Christopher Paul Curtis worked at a general motors factory installing 80 pound doors on to cars. His co-workers knew Christopher loved to read and write books, so to give him some time out of the factory they allowed him to work on and off for 30 minutes. This is when he wrote The Watsons Go to Birmingham.
Growing up Christopher found it hard to relate to books because none of them seemed to be about him. The majority of his books about about African Americans and their struggles. Christopher Paul Curtis has a great respect for both of his grandfathers; Earl “Lefty” Lewis and Herman E. Curtis, Sr. Earl “Lefty” Lewis was a baseball pitcher and Herman Curtis, Sr. was a bandleader in the 1930's.
The first book Christopher Paul Curtis had written was The Watsons Go to Birmingham. This book received a Newbery Medal. His second book was Bud, Not Buddy; written for his grandfathers, and this book was the first book to ever receive both the Coretta Scott King and Newbery Medal. Christopher Paul Curtis still lives in Michigan, but has moved to Detroit. He lives with his family; wife- Habon and three children- Steven, Cydney, and Ayaan. He is still writing but in his free time he enjoys reading and writing, playing basketball and collecting record albums.
Author Quotes
“Rules and Things Number 63: Never, Ever Say Something Bad About Someone You Don't Know--Especially When You're Around a Bunch of Strangers. You Never Can Tell Who Might Be Kin to That Person or Who Might Be a Lip-Flapping, Big-Mouth Spy.”
“There comes a time when you're losing a fight that it just doesn't make sense to keep on fighting. It's not that you're being a quitter, it's just that you've got the sense to know when enough is enough.”
“You can tell you're reading a really good book when you forget all about everything else and know you'll die if you get to at least the end of the chapter”
“Things aren't ever what they seem to be when you first look at them. What's important is that you keep your mind wide open and try to understand what's going on from a lot of different angles.”
Book List
-
The Mighty Miss Malone
- Mr. Chickee’s Messy Mission
- Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money
- Bucking the Sarge
- Bud, Not Buddy
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham-- 1963
- Elijah of Buxton
Reflection on Major Works
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963
This book is all about the Watson family or as some call them, the "Weird Watsons." The story comes from ten year-old Kenny's point of view as his siblings, Joetta and Byron, and himself, go to visit their Grandma Sands in Birmingham for the summer. The summer turns into a nightmare when Kenny witnesses a bombing to Grandma Sands church and it is believed that Joetta may have been killed. Kenny sinks into a depression and believes that only magic can heal him but he ends up finding comfort in a surprising person.
What starts out as a hilarious book, quickly throws you for a loop with a heart-wrenching event. Since the story is told with Kenny's direct and believable voice I found that I was able to dive right into the story and really get to know his character. I think that this is something that C.P. Curtis does very well in his writing by helping to connect with the character and the book. While reading you are able to share what Kenny is going through and also think and reflect on how you might handle just a terrible event.
Bucking the Sarge
This book is about Luther's life with his mother as she tries to cheat the system. She owns a string of slum properties, including halfway houses for mentally ill men, and a thriving loan shark business and she's determined for Luther to follow in her footsteps. Luther is trying his best to be a kid and not become what his mother wants. He focuses on his school work and winning his third science fair in a row so that he can eventually attend a good college.
I had a bit of a hard time reading this book. Unlike in The Watsons Go to Birmingham, I found that I was not pulled into the story. Curtis's writing style seems to be intended to keep the reader emotional distance from the character and it is harder to connect. Bucking the Sarge is a very interesting story about Luther's life, however, I did expect a little more from the story.
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