Christopher Paul Curtis is an award-winning and celebrated American children’s book author.
He has written eight novels, drafted introductions to many prominent books, and contributed articles to several newspapers and magazines.
But, surprisingly, he did not become a published author until the age of 40!
He had a struggling career when he worked in a factory but turned his life around through the power of his imagination and words. In this blog post, we’ll look at his life, writing career, and the awards he has won throughout his career.
Born on 10 May 1953 in Flint, Michigan, Curtis was the second oldest among five siblings. Flint, Michigan, was primarily a black neighborhood – so much so that the only white people Curtis ever saw were his teachers at the school.
His neighborhood later became a common and prominent setting in several of his stories, including Buking The Sarge and the famous The Watsons Go To Birmingham.
His father, Elmer Curtis, was a doctor (chiropodist) but had to become a factory worker when his patients could no longer afford to pay him.
His mother (Leslie Jane Curtis), on the other hand, remained a housewife until her children got older. Then she joined the Flint Public School System and became an educator.
Both his father and mother were involved in the Civil Rights Movement and brought Curtis and other siblings to several NAACP marches.
Curtis attributes his love of books and reading to his mother and considers his parents a significant influence on his life.
As for Christopher Curtis himself, he was a straight-A student from kindergarten through eighth grade at the Flint Public School System. He thought he wanted to become a doctor like his father, but Curtis lost interest in academics when he went to Flint Southwestern High School.
He graduated from Flint Southwestern High School in 1971.
Then, the following summer, Curtis became a member of a Lansing-based theatrical/musical group called Suitcase Theater. The group rehearsed on Tuesdays and Thursdays and performed musical numbers and the works of Langston Hughes.
But, when it came to doing a full-time thing, he applied for a job at Fisher Body Plant, owned by General Motors. It was an assembly facility where Curtis spent the next 13 years of his life. He had a ten-hour shift but worked out a deal with his friend to take alternate 30-minute breaks.
His friend rested while Curtis used to sit in a quiet place and spend time reading or writing. Although he was paid well for the job, Curtis didn’t particularly like his job but enjoyed reading or writing during the break.
Finally, he quit his job at Fisher Body in 1985 and took several low-paying jobs to explore what he could love doing. Curtis worked at Stonegate Mano housing cooperative as a groundskeeper, for Donal Riegle (Senator) as a campaign manager, for MichCon as a customer service professional, for Automated Data Processing as a clear, and for Manpower as a temporary worker.
Then, in 1993, Curtis’ wife convinced him to take a year off and focus on what he loved doing – writing. So, he took a course at Michigan-Flint University and submitted his several works to a writing contest for the Hopwood Awards.
To his surprise, he won first prize for two of his novels, The Watsons Go to Florida and an essay about his career in the auto factory. Following this win, Curtis submitted his novel to contests sponsored by publishing houses, ultimately resulting in the novel being selected by Delacorte Press for publication.
However, before publication, Curtis realized that Birmingham would have been a better-suited destination for this kind of novel, so he changed the book’s final part.
Hence, his first novel, The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963, was published in 1995.
The book was an instant hit – it was named to the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults list! Later, the book won both the Newbery Honor Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Honor Book Award, and 25 other awards and honors.
The book sold more than 300,000 copies and got translated into 11 different languages.
Moreover, the book’s movie rights were sold to Lancit Media shortly after publication. Whoopi Goldberg later bought the rights, and the book was adapted for a television movie that aired on the Hallmark Channel in 2013.
Then, Curtis’s second book – Bud, Not Buddy – got published in 1999 and won numerous awards, including the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award. The story was based on his grandfather’s life, who traveled around Michigan with a band called Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of The Depression in the 1930s.
Then he published the following books:
All of these earned him a lot of praise and accolades.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
Bud, Not Buddy
Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money
Bucking the Sarge
Elijah of Buxton
Besides writing novels, Curtis has contributed many articles to newspapers and journals and edited several books by other writers.
He also travels to schools and communities to speak about his experience as an author.
Curtis also founded the Nobody but Curtis Foundation to connect with young people and improve literacy levels across North America and Africa. He does this by sending educational materials, technology, and other supplies to schools in need and offering students scholarships.
Overall, he is majorly known for his writing skills; his storytelling ability and use of humor to discuss more serious topics of racism, poverty, and child abuse have been praised a lot.
He is also known for his ability to authentically portray children’s experiences and share history.
This is why he is a widely-taught author in elementary and middle schools.
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