Bud, Not Buddyby Christopher Paul Curtis
In this story, the reader is transported back to 1936, in the middle of the Great Depression. Bud is our main character, who is a negro boy whose mom passed away four years ago. Although he may be only 10 years old, he has already experienced a lifetime of hardship, grief, homelessness, hunger and sufferings--but those factors do not keep him down. He is able to escape the mean Amoses, a foster family he is given to in the beginning of the story, but not before their son Toddy beats him to a bloody pulp and Bud lands himself a night locked in their shed, as well as face-full of hornet stings and fish-teeth scratches. He escapes, but rather than going back to the orphanage, he camps outside the library and later in a "Hooverville," a 'cardboard jungle' in his hometown where many other homeless Negros live. He intends to make it out west to help pick fruit and earn a living with his friend Bugs, but ends up missing jumping on the train. Instead, all alone, he decides to walk to Grand Rapids in search of his father, the famous Herman E. Calloway who has been in countless bands travelling throughout the country. Although his mother had never officially told him who his father was, Bud is a smart-enough kid to put together the clues he saw throughout his childhood--like the rocks with city names and dates, all the band flyers his mom had held onto (which had also made her cry), and other mementos. He ends up hitch-hiking with Lefty Lewis, who he lies to and says that he is actually FROM Grand Rapids and ran away from, all in hopes that the man will take him back home. He does, and Bud finally makes it to Grand Rapids. He meets Mr. Calloway, who doubts his story but lets him stay regardless. In the end of the story, all the details of Bud's mom's life come rushing out, confirming not that Herman is Bud's father, but instead Bud's mom's father--Bud's grandfather.
I was not greatly interested in reading this story at first; however, after getting used to Bud's dialogue and thought-process, could not put the book down. To me, it seemed too easy for Bud to make it to Grand Rapids, find his father, and live happily-ever-after. When the story turned and I began to realize that Herman was not Bud's father but instead his grandfather, this seemed the perfect fit. Honestly, I had been wondering all along what Bud's mother had been thinking if she had been seeing/dating Herman enough to become pregnant, because he seemed to me like a real jerk. However, I can definitely see him instead as a father that pushed his daughter so hard that he pushed her away--he appears to be much more of that persuasion. I can think of people that I went to college with that had parents like that--who wanted so much out of them that the child eventually cracked under the pressure and either went insane or completely rebelled. In this story's case, Bud's mom rebelled, moved across the state, got pregnant with a child who had no father figure, and died at a very young age before ever really living her life. When thinking about the ending of the story, I begin to to wonder what will happen to Bud now--now that his ancestry is known, after he has been taken in by Mr. Calloway's band, and he has a full stomach and a good night's sleep. Will they keep him around and let him join the band? Will Bud get frustrated with his grandpa and run away like his mother did? In the times of the Great Depression, I would not put anything past Bud! Bud, Not Buddy is definitely a story deserving of not only the Coretta Scott King award, but also of the Newbery award that it was given. The story is a timeless one that can be read by any age level--read to one's self if old enough, or read-to if a younger child. It teaches the reader to not only appreciate all that we have, but also the wisdom that Bud held on to--that when one door closes, another one opens, and you just have to keep your eyes open for it.
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