The Coretta Scott King is awarded by the American Library Association to outstanding African-American authors and / or illustrators. Obviously, the award is named for Coretta Scott King, a large figure of utmost respect in the African-American community; King, the wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., was the epitome of someone who worked diligently to uphold the honor of African-Americans.
In 2000, the Coretta Scott King Award was given to the Christopher Paul Curtis novel Bud, Not Buddy. Bud, Not Buddy is a wonderful account of the orphan Bud, who, through his trials and tribulations over the course of the novel, the reading audience feels has suffered so much in his short life. The reader sees Bud leave the orphanage and into the home of the Amos family, a horrible family who severely abuses Bud. Bud decides to run away, and then, he sets out on a true adventure to find his father, based on a clue his mother left in his suitcase before she died. His adventure takes him to a jazz club, where Herman E. Calloway is playing.
Curtis' novel is a wonderful historical adventure, told through the eyes of Bud, a sympathetic character who any reader could fall in love with, while at the same time, feel extreme amounts of sorrow. This novel definitely does not paint a very favorable picture of the foster system of the 1930s in Michigan; however, the novel does show how resilient a young man can be, despite the many obstacles that can be found in his way.
In addition to the Coretta Scott King award, Bud, Not Buddy also won the Newbery Medal and the ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The author, Curtis, also wrote The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963, also a Newbery Honor book and a Coretta Scott King Honor book.
Nate Smith
Resources:
American Library Association. (2008). Coretta Scott King award. Retrieved April 7, 2008 from http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookaward/corettascott.cfm.
Curtis, C. P. (1999). Bud, not buddy. New York: Delacorte Press.
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