Bucking the Sarge - Christopher Paul Curtis

Reader's Annotation: Luther T. Farrell works for Flint's biggest slumlord, The Sarge, a.k.a Mom. Luther is determined to get out of Flint and use his savings from work to go to college; only he has The Sarge in his way.

Plot Summary: Luther is a philosopher at heart. He has grand plans for going away to college and leaving Flint behind, but first he needs to escape the Sarge's Evil Empire. Since the age of 13 Luther has been running one of the Sarge's group homes for mental disturbed men. He goes to school, takes care of the men, and when he finds time tries to help his best friend Sparky escape Flint as well. This year Luther is in line to win the science fair for the third time and buy himself a sure ticket out of the Sarge's grip. Yet Luther finds out it's not as simple as he thought to untangle himself from the Evil Empire.    

Critical Evaluation: Curtis creates vivid powerful characters in Bucking the Sarge. Each of them have a very distinctive personality and the relationships are dynamic, changing based on whom the person is interacting with. The dialogue seems natural with Luther and Sparky's relationship being described as one from the “womb to tomb”. The boys speak like boys and many teenagers will relate to the slang ridden speech. Curtis ensures that each of the characters has a depth to them which sets them apart. Even the minor characters such as the men in the group home are all very real. While Luther's situation in life probably isn't typical for many teens out there, the feeling of being trapped and unable to explore one's own identity surely is. The Sarge keeps Luther and everyone else under her thumb, using them as she sees fit. She doesn't see him as a son as much as a cog in her machine. And while Luther's story is sad, Curtis is able to inject humor and witty commentary throughout, making Bucking the Sarge an entertaining read. 

Author: Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint's historic Fisher Body Plant #1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles' particularly big Buicks.

Curtis's writing and his dedication to it has been greatly influenced by his family members. With grandfathers like Earl "Lefty" Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.

Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children's literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. 

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/christopherpaulcurtis/christophercurtis.htm

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: n/a

Booktalking Ideas: How do you make money for college? Are there ways for teens in underprivileged areas to get out of poverty?

Age: 14+

Challenge Issues: n/a

Why I Included This Book: Yet another book recommended to me by our YA Librarian. Curtis is a Newbery Award winning author and this is his first book written from a young adult's perspective. It also has a smart African-American teen boy as the main character, something that is hard to find in YA Lit.

Wendy Lamb Books, 2004, ISBN: 0385901593