Bucking the Sarge

Bucking the Sarge\ \ By Christopher Paul Curtis \ Random House\ Copyright (C) 2004 by Christopher Paul Curtis\ All right reserved.\ ISBN: 1400090970 \ \ \ Chapter One\ “Just a minute, fellas. Hello?”\ “Luther?” It was Sparky. He sounded like he’d just run five miles. “Have you looked outside, bruh?” I could hear the wind howling behind him.\ “Yeah, where you at?”\ “I’m on the phone outside Seven-Eleven. It’s like a hurricane out here!”\ “Then why don’t you get inside? Are you coming over?” The 7-Eleven was only a couple of blocks away.\ Sparky said, “Uh-uh. I need you to meet me behind Taco Bell.”\ “You need what?”\ “Seriously! This is my big chance, baby! Before this night is over I’m going to be calling 1-800-SUE-EM-ALL. I finally got someone to sic the big D.O.G. on.” He started barking into the phone.\ “Sparky, what are you talking about?”\ “I’ma put me a suit in on Taco Bell!”\ “Oh, you’re gonna do that old I-found-a-rat-in-my-burrito trick?”\ Sparky said, “Please, they peeped out that scam a long time ago, they even do autopsies on the rat if you claim that happened. I got the bomb, baby! But I’m gonna need your help.”\ “Uh-oh.”\ “Uh-uh, Luther, this is for real. I walked by Taco Bell and all them red tiles are lifting up off the roof and knocking the mess out of everything in the parking lot! One went clean through someone’s windshield!”\ “Sounds dangerous.”\ “Which is why you gotta get down here.”\ I said, “Why would I come out on a night like this to watch some roofing tiles crashing into cars . . .” Then I understood. “Now I get it, you want a witness that you got hit by one of those tiles, right?”\ “Something like that, but I need a little more.”\ “I’m listening.”\ “I really do need to get hit, and you’re the only one I can trust to do it right.”\ “Aw, no. That ain’t happening!”\ “Come on, Luther, I already got one of the tiles set to do it. All you gotta do is kinda tap me in the head, then walk me into Taco Bell and have them call an ambulance.”\ “What?”\ “Don’t worry, bruh, you know when I get paid I’ma break a little something off for you.”\ “You must be kidding.”\ “Luther, don’t make me beg.”\ “I can’t do it, Sparky. Besides, you’re cutting into my science fair project time. Plus I gotta put the Crew to bed, that’s going to take at least half an hour.”\ Sparky said, “If that’s the best you can do, half an hour then, behind the Taco Bell.”\ “Cool.”\ He said, “I just hope the wind hasn’t died down by then, it’ll be on you if it has. Your half hour could be costing us a whole lotta benjamins, my brother.”\ “I’ll see you in half an hour, but this better be quick, I’ma just whack you in the head, then I gotta bounce.”\ \ Sparky didn’t have to worry, by the time I’d settled everyone down and started walking to Taco Bell the wind had even picked up some.\ The stop sign on the corner was twisting back and forth in the wind, sounding like a rocket made out of tin cans and duct tape getting ready to blast off. The wind was hot in a way that made you want to close your eyes and tilt your head back and breathe real deep. Or maybe even howl.\ Something from the roof of Taco Bell somersaulted through the air, then smashed into the parking lot. Sparky popped out from behind a Dumpster and ran toward me with a tile in his hand.\ “Sparky,” I yelled, “this is insane, man, let’s just go home.”\ Sparky shook his head and said, “Come on, bruh, hurry up, this ain’t real easy for me, you know.”\ I took the reddish-brown clay roofing tile from him. I was surprised how heavy it was. He leaned toward me, closed his eyes tight and showed his teeth.\ “Come on, Luther, quit torturing me,” he whined, keeping his teeth clenched. “Do it!”\ I shook my head and closed my eyes. I raised the tile about shoulder high, brought it down on his head and felt a little shimmy run up my arm. Sparky was still standing with his eyes squinched shut.\ He looked at me. “That’s it?” He brought his hand up, rubbed at the spot where I’d hit him and said, “Man, you gotta be kidding, don’t forget this thing’s supposed to have blowed off a roof, you really gotta knock the snot outta me, bruh.”\ I dropped the tile. “This ain’t me, you gotta get someone else.”\ Sparky looked hurt. “What? You supposed to be my boy, who else can I trust?”\ He picked the tile back up and reached it toward me again. “Remember what we used to say, ‘We’ll have each other’s backs from womb to tomb, you’ll be my boy from birth to earth.’”\ What could I say? He was right, we had said that. I took the tile again. It must’ve weighed ten pounds.\ The wind was really starting to get serious. The stop sign had stopped shaking and was now whistling and going back and forth like one of those piano metronome things. Two more tiles jumped off the roof and exploded in the parking lot.\ “All right, fool, bend your head over.”\ I closed my eyes, raised the tile over my head and let it drop on Sparky’s skull. Again my arm shimmied. When I opened my eyes Sparky was looking at me the way you’d look at a kid who brought home all Ds on his report card.\ He said, “Man, all you’re doing is giving me a headache! Swing that tile, brother! I bet if I went and got your crusty old mother she wouldn’t have no troubles lighting me up.”\ If only he knew. The Sarge would’ve paid big cash to take my place right now. Sparky isn’t one of her favorite people. She would’ve hit him so hard it would’ve knocked his head clean off. I laughed. “Leave my mother out of this.”\ \ \ From the Hardcover edition.\ \ \ \ \ Excerpted from Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis Excerpted by permission.\ All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.\ Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. \ \

\ Publishers WeeklyPW's starred review said, "Featuring characters so lively they seem to jump off the page and a gratifying resolution, this vibrant modern-day battle between greed and morality proves that there is more than one way to come out on top." Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ VOYANewbery award-winning author Curtis aims for an older audience and hits a bull's-eye with this darker and uglier contemporary portrait of his native Flint, Michigan. Ninth-grader Luther T. Farrell loathes his greedy, loan-sharking, slumlord mother, known to everyone as "the Sarge," who milks the system to take advantage of disadvantaged, elderly, and low-income people. Even more loathsome is his mother's henchman/lover, Darnell Dixon, who has no compunction about breaking all the rules and forces Luther to do some of the dirty work. Luther's dream is to escape Flint forever, and winning his third science fair will put him on track for college. Luther gets the opportunity to break ties with his mother once and for all and expose her for the villain she is when his science project, about the effects of lead paint on the development of children, ties for first place. Luther's project prompts the mayor's office to launch a citywide investigation that means big trouble for the Sarge, who years ago fraudulently obtained and used lead paint for her properties. Infuriated, the Sarge tells Luther to pack his bags, but he finds her stash of hidden money, takes enough to pay for college, and heads down south to pursue his dream. This superbly crafted story is populated by memorable quirky characters, such as Luther's best friend, Sparky, and his mysterious octogenarian roommate. As in Curtis's other novels, there is plenty of hilarity. At the core of the story, though, is Luther's profoundly inspiring determination to stay true to his values and to force his mother to answer for her many transgressions. No library should be without it. VOYA CODES: 5Q 5P J S (Hard to imagine it being any betterwritten; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 240p., and PLB Ages 12 to 18. \ —Ed Sullivan\ \ \ Children's LiteratureMiddle-schooler Luther T. Farrell has carried in his wallet for years the world's oldest condom, nicknamed Chauncey, and worries about being overheard while masturbating in the group home for the mentally handicapped that he manages for his mother, the Sarge, a scheming slumlord in Flint, Michigan. Curtis's latest novel is decidedly darker and seamier than The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 and Bud, Not Buddy. It takes a strong stomach to get through scenes of Luther changing the poop-filled pants of one of his charges, or his friend Sparky trying to get his hand bitten by a rabid rat to ground a fraudulent lawsuit. The Sarge is a one-dimensional caricature of evil—the seeming twin of the Warden in Louis Sachar's Holes—but it is unsettling to have such a character appear in a work of realistic fiction. And it is inconsistent that an obsessively greedy and abusive mother who cares so little about her son would make any financial sacrifice—however underhanded—to help him win his school's annual science fair or attend the award ceremony afterward, both of which are central to Curtis's plot. Curtis's genius as a writer shines through in Luther's hilarious and winning narrative voice, and in his huge and generous heart. But just as Luther is desperate to leave behind the depressing world of Flint, Michigan, readers may feel equally impatient to leave behind the depressing world of this book. 2004, Wendy Lamb, Ages 12 up. \ —Claudia Mills\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTTo quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, September 2004: Two women dominate the life of Luther T. Farrell, age 15. He's in love with his beautiful classmate Shayla, though she is his rival to win the school science fair. The other woman is his terrifying mother (aka the Sarge), who has him trapped in her "Evil Empire." She's a loan shark, a slum landlord, and the owner of a number of group homes, all part of her quest to become rich and powerful, no matter who she steps on along the way. Despite Luther's age, she has put him in charge of one of her homes, "The Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men," where he works hard cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the residents for her. In his spare time she puts Luther to work doing other chores, such as reluctantly evicting people who can't pay the rent on her apartments. The setting is Flint, Michigan, where Curtis's previous award-winning novels, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 and Bud, Not Buddy, also take place, but unlike those books this is a contemporary tale, and one aimed at somewhat older YAs (there are some references to masturbation, for example). Luther's enterprising friend Sparky is dying to get out of Flint, and he has hatched a get-rich-quick scheme, involving a rat and a lawyer whose phone number is 1-800-sue-em-all, in which he embroils Luther. Luther's ancient roommate, Chester X, also hopes to split town, and both urge Luther to escape too, to get away from the domineering and unloving Sarge. But it isn't until Luther wins the science fair, with a project on the dangers of lead paint that attracts media attention and dangerously infuriates the Sarge (she uses it on her properties, to save money), and realizes that theSarge hasn't been putting away money for him for college for him after all, that he decides to break away. But will the Sarge's vicious sidekick find him first? This is a funny, moving, surprising tale, and readers will root for Luther all the way. He is a terrific character, a bright and hardworking young African American teen with a tender heart who aspires to be a philosopher, and Curtis draws the other characters superbly as well. A great read sure to win this fine author more acclaim. (A 2005 ALA Best Book for YAs.) KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Random House, Laurel Leaf, 259p., $6.50.. Ages 12 to 18. \ —Paula Rohrlick\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 8 Up-Luther T. Farrell is not like most other 15-year-olds living in Flint, Michigan. While he's working hard to win the school science fair for the third year, he is also in charge of one of his mother's group homes and that includes driving the men to rehab and cleaning them up after bathroom accidents. Luther and his mom, a.k.a. Sarge, are financially well off because she's also a slumlord and a loan shark, but the eighth grader is uncomfortable with his life. Christopher Paul Curtis's novel (Wendy Lamb Books, 2004) recounts how this often philosophical youth decides to do what's right and turns the tables on his mother. Luther's best friend Sparky, Shayala his heart's desire, and a wise elderly resident of the group home add humor, wisdom, and a bit of romance to this story that mixes comedy and questions about morality. Michael Boatman's narration has the breezy bounce of inner-city youth, but he also captures the serious undertone of the story. The sound quality is good, and a bit of music adds a hip beat to the opening and closing of the recording. There are a few wacky subplots and some funky characters, but both urban and suburban listeners will connect with the teen appropriate dialogue and admire the way Luther emerges victorious after making tough choices.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsLuther's hard-driving mother, "Sarge," has built personal life and financial empire (slum housing, group homes, loan sharking business) through belief in two things: herself and money. Luther is exploited no less than her "clients." At 13, he got a forged driver's license and the responsibility for running The Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men. Years later, Luther's life is a grind of responsibility at the home and striving at school. When Luther's science fair project-on the dangers of lead paint-promises to cost Sarge (whose apartments are painted with it) money and jail time, she ruthlessly cuts him adrift. In a conclusion that avoids contrivance through his comic use of organizational list-making, Luther, who is thoroughly decent despite everything, shrewdly gets all he's owed and declares his independence. In Curtis's hands, this is darkly funny as he deftly paints his Runyonesque cast of characters as broadly as the side of the Buick Riviera driven by Darnell, Sarge's "rent-a-thug." Told in Luther's jivey, colloquial voice, enriched by Curtis's cast of large-hearted survivors, and enlivened by his coruscating style, this is another winner-or, as Luther might say, a "three-peat." (Fiction. 10-16)\ \