Christopher Paul Curtis continually amazes me. He can tell a story so wild and crazy that the entire idea behind it seems totally outlandish and absurd, completely unbelievable, yet he is so skillful at finding ways to ground his characters in the bedrock of reality that, ultimately, the story doesn't feel all that far-fetched after all. There is no one like Christopher Paul Curtis. At age fourteen, Luther finds himself in the unpaid (practically speaking, at least) employment of his mother, whose strictness and seeming near-omniscience have given her the nickname, "The Sarge". Luther works regular hours after school and on weekends at a retirement home that his mother owns, taking care of CNA duties for the elderly population under his supervision. Luther's wages come in the form of stipends that are promised to be regularly added to his growing college fund, so that when he becomes of age he can attend a good college and make a life of affluence for himself, as his mother did.Bucking the Sarge is a series of funny schemes and scams, perpetrated by Luther, The Sarge and some others around them, at the same time as Luther is trying to figure out what kind of place exists for him in the world once he turns of age, and whether or not he really wants to follow in the footsteps of his austere mother. Complications to the philosophy of "Look out for number one" that Luther has been force-fed from an early age arise with the coming of a new resident to the home where Luther works, a man named Chester X. This new denizen of the home is a great deal more than he at first glance appears to be, and has ideas about what it takes to make it in life that are different from the borderline-criminal ones espoused by The Sarge. Luther wonders if his mother may have been missing the mark all along with her style of intimidation tactics and patent disregard for the welfare of those under the umbrella of her broad sphere of influence. When Luther finds out that his own financial security is not at all what he had been led to believe, he has to make a choice: continue to follow the orders and plan of The Sarge, or break away and make the bold, permanent declaration that he's going to carry out his existence on his own terms, and according to his own philosophy that he is just beginning to really comprehend in its big-picture form.Bucking the Sarge is a very strange story, no doubt about it. I didn't fully understand the point of everything that happens in it, and many of the plot twists left me puzzled, but hidden among the weirdness are some deep thoughts that effectively act as a nucleus to keep the story together and give it a worthwhile central theme. Normally I would round my two-and-a-half-star rating of a book such as this down to two stars, but there's something about Bucking the Sarge that is definitely better than that rating would show, and so I'm rounding it up to three stars, instead. Christopher Paul Curtis truly is a cut above the rest, and I would recommend anything that he has written, including Bucking the Sarge.
I read this book in either middle school or high school, and some parts and scenes from it still come back to me, sticking with me. One part is this dynamic of cynicism versus hope. The Sarge has a cynical worldview, based on a very practical outlook at a world that's stacked the deck against them, so she's decided to lie and cheat and manipulate her way back. In a sad way, I found myself empathizing with her, especially her anger at a flawed, corrupt society. She didn't think she could beat the monsters, so she decided to become one.There's a line she says that I'm going to butcher, about how you can run the race faster than everybody else and still come in fourth place because other people got a head start. Luther takes the brave, admirable position of deciding to run the race that much faster. He never loses his sense of hope, his belief in a brighter future, in a way that doesn't disregard the brutal truth of growing up black, young, and in poverty. That tug, the pulls between hope and giving in to the system, is so vividly played out in this book, and it really resonated with me. I personally am not a victim of racism, but I have dealt with sexism and other discrimination, as well as just temptation to throw my hands in the air and say, "F*ck it, it's a rigged game but I'll play it." Reading about someone at a young age who made the right choices even when facing harsh realities was incredibly important for me, which is why, even though I don't remember all the details of the book now, it's still incredibly important to me.
What do You think about Bucking The Sarge (2006)?
I gotta say - I loved this book! I was cheering for my main man Luther the whole time! He's a smart, kind, responsible 14-year-old kid from Flint, Michigan, who is helplessly bound up in his mother's (aka The Sarge's) shady business dealings. She's basically a professional nickle-and-dimer...and Luther goes along with it...but finds ways to maintain some sort of moral standards. He and his friend Sparky are looking for a way out: Luther wants a way out of his mother's control, and Sparky wants a way out of Flint. Their friendship is inspiring, their antics are side-splitting, and the ending is beautifully satisfying.I listened to it on CD, and I have to say that Michael Boatman (the reader) made it for me! He has Luther's inner and outer voices down to a science. The best parts were when Luther realized that his supposed-to-be-in-a-coma roommate has actually been lucid for several weeks...meaning the old man has been privy to EVERYTHING Luther's done in that room. I almost had to pull off the road I was laughing so hard. Boatman had just the right amount of panic, humiliation, and indignation in his voice.Happy trails, Luther! I'm *still* cheering for you!
—Caroline
Deeply involved in his cold and manipulative mother's shady business dealings in Flint, Michigan, fourteen-year-old Luther keeps a sense of humor while running the Happy Neighbor Group Home For Men, all the while dreaming of going to college and becoming a philosopher.How would you feel if you were 15 years old, lived in Flint, Michigan, had a mom who was a slum lord and made you work at least 40 hours a week on top of going to school? On top of that your job entails cleaning up nasty apartments after the tenants had been evicted, and also helping out at your mom’s assisted living house, cleaning up after and bathing sick old men. Well, that pretty much sums up the life of Luther T. Farrell, and although his mom, a.k.a. the Sarge, pays him for his work and is depositing all his hard-earned money into a college savings account, Luther T. Farrell wishes he had time for friends, girls (particularly his dream girl, Shayla), and working to win the school science fair for the third time in a row.
—Katie
Luther is a teenage boy that is a philosopher and scientist. He struggles with his feelings for Shayla, a girl from a rival school; and his relationship with his mother, a woman that has cheated the system to get where she is. Students will love this story because it is based in Flint (for those teaching in that area). They will also relate to the power relationship between mother and son, along with not always agreeing with his parent's viewpoint. Teachers should have this book in their classro
—English Education
