Talking with Christopher Paul Curtis
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BOOKS AND AUTHORS Upper elementary school through high school Talking with Christopher Paul Curtis The award-winning author discusses his latest work, the historical novel Elijah of Buxton. By Dean Schneider hristopher Paul Curtis grew up in Flint, Michigan, where “When I write I’m not Photo: Lin Jones Che spent 13 years on the consciously trying assembly line at the Fisher Body Flint Plant No.1. It was the success to make the humor balance the tragedy. My of his fi rst novel, Th e Watsons Go mission is just to tell the story.” to Birmingham—1963, which was both a Newbery Honor Book and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, periphery.” Can you explain how you because I couldn’t write from that that enabled him to leave the factory did that with Elijah of Buxton? point of view. and write full time. Bud, Not Buddy, Curtis: I’d always wanted to write Curtis’ second novel, won both the about slavery, but I think to write DS: Th ere is so much wisdom in this Newbery Medal and the Coretta from a slave’s point of view would novel and so much humor, even in the Scott King Book Award. Elijah of be impossible. I don’t think any of direst circumstances. As a storyteller, Buxton, the author’s most recent us can put ourselves in the mind of a how were you able to be so wise and novel, won the Coretta Scott King person who has been so dehumanized funny at the same time? Book Award, the Scott O’Dell Award and so debased, so I couldn’t fi nd a Curtis: I don’t think I’m wise and for Historical Fiction, and a Newbery way to get into the story. After read- funny. What I’m trying to do is just tell Honor Book designation. Curtis is ing Beloved, which is about people the story, and the humor and tragedy known for his ability to bring histori- who have escaped from slavery but are so closely intertwined that the line cal periods to life with memorable continue to live with its ghost, and is blurred between them. Humor gets characters and plenty of humor. He then going to the Buxton settlement us through; it can be an aid to get by re- currently lives in Windsor, Ontario. of escaped slaves, I felt that this was ally tragic circumstances. When I write Th e following interview was con- the perfect opportunity. What could I’m not consciously trying to make the ducted at the American Library be more interesting to write about humor balance the tragedy. My mission Association 2008 Annual Conference than the first child who was born is just to tell the story. in Anaheim. free? He or she would have to be a very special person in the eyes of the DS: One of the most powerful scenes DS: I know you admire Toni Morrison’s former slaves. So, when I say “from in Elijah of Buxton is when Elijah is Beloved and how she approached the the periphery,” I mean somebody about to say the “N word” and Mr. difficult subject of slavery “from the who has not been poisoned by slavery, Leroy gets aft er him, saying that one 14 Book Links November 2008 www.ala.org/booklinks “Strong, authentic...”—Booklist “A touch of sweetness... heartfelt ...”—Kirkus day that word “gunn be buried right you have to do on dialect or slang? ’long with the last one of ’em” slavers. Curtis: What I did was kind of a How do you feel about young-adult version of southern African American novels that continue to use the word in speech, which we still have vestiges of the name of being historically accurate? today. If you go into parts of Mississippi, Would you rather the word be buried, what you hear is pretty close to the way as Mr. Leroy says? slaves spoke. Then I filtered in some Curtis: Of course I’d rather it be bur- Canadian with more of an English type ied, but I think it is a part of our history of dialect. Elijah would have had two and part of our present, even. I think things pulling at him—his parents and the only way it can be used is in a his- the way they speak, and the larger com- torical context. It is a word, a legitimate munity and the teachers, who are telling word, a horrible word full of hate, but the kids, “This is the way you say these it is a word and we can’t ignore that. things.” It’s hard to do dialect because As a writer, there are certain things you there’s no standardized spelling and can’t dance around; you can’t imply the sometimes it doesn’t read the way that hatred and bitterness behind the word you want it to and can start to sound by using some other word to try to hint stilted; it’s the kind of thing that you Gravity at it, so I think it’s fine to use in histori- have to hint at. Leanne Lieberman cal context. An author has to be true to what was going on and to what he sees, DS: Elijah of Buxton is full of memo- isbn ---- pb . ages + pages and as long as it’s not used gratuitously, rable scenes and characters, and certainly it’s fine. It’s a jarring word, but it is an the Preacher stands out. He is a smooth- Orca Book Publishers accurate part of our history. talking con man, but do you see him as .. www.orcabook.com entirely evil? What were his intentions DS: I like that Elijah has not become a in the carnival scene? hero by the end of the story. He has acted Curtis: I don’t think that he had good according to his conscience and has done intentions. The Preacher saw that Children can change the something heroic, but he is still a young, money ran things, and he was always world, one at a time. fragile boy, and even Mrs. Chloe has to looking for ways to make money. I think tell him to get himself together and quit he would have taken Elijah and gone on all of that swooning. Was it a struggle to the road with the carnival for a while keep Elijah true to his character and not and then brought him back, but he make a mythic hero out of him? was kidnapping a kid to make money. Curtis: I’m very conscious of not I don’t think that he was totally evil; he having a young person be superheroic. was human and got caught up in the There are certain things you can do love of money, and it led him astray. and certain things you can’t do, and if you have the young person doing these DS: Students often complain that all things, then you’re into fantasy. I kind of the books we read are sad. Readers of played with that; at the end of the will certainly shed some tears while story, Elijah talks of freeing the people reading Elijah, yet author and editor in the barn, but he couldn’t do that. Andrea Davis Pinkney said that it It’s disrespectful to the slaves and to “leaves us with the greatest gift any your readers because people who sold novel can give—hope!” Is this the main slaves were serious about it; slaves were thing that you hope readers gain from One Peace a valuable commodity. There’s no way Elijah? that a kid could have come in there and Curtis: Yes, I do. I hope that they have True Stories of Young Activists fouled that up for them. a desire to learn more about historical Janet Wilson times, about what happened in Buxton isbn ---- hc DS: Was it difficult to re-create the in particular, and I hope that they real- . ages + pages speech of the times? What research did ize that even though they can’t save the Orca Book Publishers .. www.orcabook.com www.ala.org/booklinks November 2008 Book Links 15 world, they can do one little thing at a Through these rules, they did learn time to make a difference. how to do it, and the Buxton settle- ment endured. DS: Clearly, part of the hope in this novel is the power of education. Was DS: What do you see as the value of education a priority of the Buxton settle- historical fiction for children? ment from the beginning? Curtis: I see that it’s a great gateway, Curtis: Very much so. The settlement a good way to get an interest in things. was started by the Reverend William There’s nothing drier than reading facts King, and one of the things that he in a history book. As Scott O’Dell stressed was education. The school in said, it’s important that young peo- Buxton was so good that people from ple have a historical perspective the white community started taking about what shaped their world, and their kids out of the public schools and through reading historical fiction kids bringing them to this school. It was an are learning things without even real- outstanding education. The first black izing it. lawyer in Canada went to the school at Buxton. The former slaves realized Sampling Curtis that education was the one thing that nobody could take away from you; Bucking the Sarge.