Customer Reviews

Bucking the Sarge

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The nation's fifth and sixth grade teachers will return to school in September just in time to discover that Christopher Paul Curtis has forsaken them. BUCKING THE SARGE is not a book that they will be reading aloud to their students in the same way that thousands of them have been reading THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963 and BUD NOT BUDDY.

But those of us who spend most of our time in the somewhat-older, YA world are gonna be doing some kind of badass NFL-style victory dance for having lured Christopher over to our side of the 'hood with his latest tale full of one-of-a-kind characters and occasional laugh-till-the-snot-and tears-pour-out situations.

"I don't mean to say my boy is obsessed, but Sparky blames all our problems on the fact that we live in Flint. Yeah, I'm looking to get out someday myself, but this is one of those things that me and Sparky don't think alike on. But that's not his fault. My mind is trained in a different way than his.

"I like to look at everything philosophically, and he doesn't. I've known since I was about six that thinking that way will get you what you need in life so I've been studying philosophical junk since then.

"It gets a laugh every time I tell someone but by the time I'm twenty-one I plan on being America's best-known, best-loved, best-paid philosopher. And that's a job that there's gotta be a big demand for 'cause how many full-time, professional American philosophers can you think of?

"I rest my case."

Luther T. Farrell is a skinny, six-foot-four student at Whittier Middle School. He is actually fifteen, even though his driver's license says eighteen. Sparky is his best friend and foil. Luther is a success with science fair projects but less so with love (as evidenced by the well-aged condom in his wallet that he's named Chauncey). He quietly longs for romance with Shayla, the pretty and smart undertaker's daughter whom he's known forever. He's also big on making lists.

Luther's mother, a.k.a. The Sarge, has him stretched between school and work. The Sarge is the loan-sharking, slum-lording, government reimbursement-sucking, ever-scamming operator of numerous sub-par establishments, including the Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men, where she's had Luther living with, caring for, and chauffeuring around the clients since he was thirteen.

For a reasonably easy and often-funny read, BUCKING THE SARGE is also riddled with complexities and darkness. The Sarge and Darnell Dixon ("the Sarge's go-to guy and my boss and one of Flint's leading psychopath nut jobs") are a matched set of ticking time bombs. The Sarge's consistently despicable and cruel treatment of society's most vulnerable groups--children, the poor, the elderly--is topped off by the pair's gross brutality during their eviction of a family that includes one of Luther's classmates.

When, at one point, Luther "[gets] up enough nerve to tell her that I was thinking about quitting working at the home and was probably gonna get a job at Micky D's," she repeats the jaw-dropping story of how she got to where she is today. The moral of that bitter recollection is that she has learned from the wealthy, the politicians, and the corporations to milk "any- and everything that moves. If it's got nipples, I'm going to milk it." To recognize this cold, hard, violent woman as a mimic and parody of the "winners" in the American economic system of the haves and the have-nots is to understand this subtle yet scathing indictment of the system.

Luther, himself, tells us that he's learned philosophically to see things from both sides. "What's important is that you keep your mind wide open and try to understand what's going on from a lot of different angles. That's what I try to remember every time I talk to the Sarge or think about her or try to understand why she is the way she is." But, in either case, we see a dangerous woman who--whether full of great advice or not--is clearly not in a space to be what we'd consider to be a loving mother.

And dark humor is certainly found in the dangerous extremes to which Luther's buddy, Sparky, is willing to go in order to try and escape Flint. Those vivid images make us cringe as we laugh (or is it laugh as we cringe).

"Sparky took three steps back, then fell in a pile limp as a towel you just dried off with after a shower. It seemed like all of his bones had been Jell-O-fied."

There are a wealth of contemporary coming of age tales, but in the hands of Christopher Paul Curtis it's a whole new story.

"I've learned that if you don't write down what you're thinking about, no matter how amazing it is you'll forget it. I don't like to brag, but I know I've had a couple of ideas that were so great and shocking that they'd've won the Nobel Peace Prize of Philosophy. The only problem was I didn't write them down and by the time I got home or got out of the shower they were long gone."

Even more so than with Kenny or Bud, we're left at the finish wondering about the future of this goodhearted kid we've come to love. You can be damned sure that I'll be keeping a lookout for America's great new, best-loved, professional philosopher.

This is an excellent book.

Parents and educators, however, should know that there are sexual themes that make it more appropriate for more mature readers. These themes make it a very different book from "Bud Not Buddy." Sexuality *is* dealt with in a fairly responsible manner--others have mentioned Luther's condom so at least he's thinking about having *safer* sex!--but it is still pretty frank. I wouldn't just hand this to any given fourth grader.

Also Luther's mother and her boyfriend are *so* threatening to him that I think this book could be upsetting to children who are sensitive to stories about children who are emotionally abused by parents. (Although, that said, Curtis does a great job of explaining how Luther's mother came to be the way she is. Not to excuse her but she is a fully formed character.)

Again, an excellent book, but one probably best for older or more mature children within the reading level.

As much as this book is similar to Bud, Not Buddy, it is just as different. It has a great protaganist. Mr. Curtis creates a strong character in Luther, and he has a well-portrayed friend, Sparky, with him. The situations between Bud, Not Buddy and this book are similar (both boys are escaping from something), but this book is geared more toward the YA crowd.

The story itself kept me guessing for a while. I didn't know where Mr. Curtis was going to take the story. I was hooked. Luther and Sparky's adventures were funny, yet Luther's revelations were always interesting.

The characters worked well together. Everything connected perfectly: from the Sarge's relationships with Luther and Darnell to Sparky and Luther and Chester X.

Luther's story was funny and well written. I liked how the book was unpredictable. That made everything great. Mr. Curtis did a fine job with this.

I loved this book, and I think many other readers will also like this.

Luther T. Farrell, philosopher and scientist, has a lot going for him in matters of the mind, but not so much when it comes to women. Women do nothing but complicate his life.

First, there's beautiful and talented Shayla Patrick. Luther's relationship with Shayla would be perfect if it weren't for the fact that he and Shayla are rivals in the school science fair and are, well, sort of not dating.

The other woman in Luther's life is his mother, better known as the Sarge. The Sarge, dispenser of advice and high-interest loans, is one of the richest women in Flint. She got where she is by milking the system ("If it's got nipples, I'm going to milk it," she says) and becoming a government hating slumlord. Luther knows the Sarge is crooked, but he does all he can to stay on her good side.

When his gold-medal science fair project lands him in some serious hot water with the Sarge, Luther gets creative and joins forces with his loyal if slightly harebrained sidekick Sparky to put the Sarge in her rightful place.

Readers of Christopher Paul Curtis's previous books, including THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM: 1963 and BUD, NOT BUDDY, will recognize Curtis's trademark humor and resilient characters. BUCKING THE SARGE, however, has a much darker tone and is serious through the laughter. Luther passes his fear of his ruthless mother onto the reader, but it is that fear that makes him reach inside himself and become someone strong, a character --- and a book --- worth cheering for.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

Michael Boatman is a perfect reader for this story. His voice is casual and "philosophical". Some of the story could have gotten bogged down in melodrama, but he keeps things on an even keel, while at the same time making the critique of life in Flint even more devastating. Momma's smooth, cool voice almost sounds reasonable, until you realize how ruthless she is.

Well done. One of the best audiobooks I have listened to.

I don't know why this book did not win the Newbery Award this year. I do know that I will be thinking of Luther T. Farrell, his best friend Sparky and his "crew" for a long time.

Luther is a bright thoughtful 15 year old with penchant for philosophers. His focus in life is to win the school science fair for the third year in a row. When not going to school he is thinking about Shayla, the love of his life since kindergarten. He works for (and also fears) his mother, known as "the Sarge." He must clean up her rental properties after the tenants been evicted and take care of his crew of elderly men who live in one of his mother's group homes. He shaves them, feeds them and cleans up after them. Luther's wry commentary and outlook on life infuse the story with humor and poignancy.

Luther is fully aware of the Sarge's deficiencies as a parent and human being but he accepts his life because she is putting money for college into an account for him in payment for his work and afterall, she is his mom. He understands that his mother has traded in her humanity for financial success as a loan shark and slum lord but he is naive about lengths she will go to protect her empire.

Christopher Paul Curtis creates the most likable characters.

(I have always felt like Bud in Bud Not Buddy was one of the bravest kids I've ever met in a book.) Luther is another great character. He treats his crew with dignity and kindness. He is totally clueless when dealing with Shayla and his exchanges with his best friend Sparky will make you laugh out loud. Sparky's goal in life is to achieve an injury that will result a cash award from a personal injury lawsuit. His harebrained schemes are hilarious.

As the story unwinds, the reader is routing for Luther to find a way out and hoping for a softening of the Sarge's heart. The ending of the book is neatly done. You will cheer.

Michael Boatman's reading perfectly captures the voice and spirit of the story. I highly recommend this audio book and I agree with School Library Journal that this story would be best appreciated by readers grade 8 and up.

Although I was intrigued by this story--flipping pages quickly to find out how the protagonist would buck the Sarge--I was ultimately disappointed. "The Sarge" is a cruel slum lord without a shred of good in her, and the protagonist is the Sarge's 9th grade son without a shred of bad in him.

I'm disappointed in this book because even if I overlook Luther's ability to be so well-adjusted despite his upbringing (after all, Harry Potter did it), and even if I overlook the contrived ending (at least it's not happily ever after), I can't overlook that fact that I am not emotionally hooked.

Curtis had me bawling when reading some of his other books (The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 and Bud, Not Buddy), but I felt no emotion--not sadness nor relief nor victory--when Luther finally bucked the Sarge.

I read the book Bucking The Sarge, which is about a boy named Luther. Luther's Mom owns a lot of houses in the town of Flint, Michigan, and she also has a sort of retirement home for the elderly. Luther has to take care of these people all of the time, except for when he is at school. His friend, Sparky is desperate to get a lawsuit, so he tries anything possible to get himself hurt so that he can sue someone. Luther is huge into the science fair, so he spends all of his extra time trying to get a three-peat, but while on stage too get a third win, he realizes that he is a dead man.

This is a great comedy book. It may look like a big book at first, but it reads faster than you would believe. If you like books that are full of hilarious jokes, then this is the book for you.

I liked this book, because it was funny, kept me on the edge of my seat, and this book even has some good moral lessons in it. I dislike this book, because of the fact that some of it seemed fake, and the ending to the book isn't very good.

Luther T. Farrell is the fourteen-year-old son of the shadiest woman in Flint, Michigan. His mother,the Sarge, is tough and can get her hands on anything. For example, Sarge mananged to get Luther a driver's license at fourteen! When Luther is not helping Sarge at the Happy Neighbor Group For Men, he is either with his friend, Sparky, thinking about his future as a philosopher, working on his science fair project, or keeping up his grades in school. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't know how to keep up with everything!

Readers will enjoy Luther the most because, even though he has a mother like Sarge, he can still be laid-back and can still keep a sense of humor. The use of words in this book keeps your attention, especially for teens.

Mya R.

This story is told from inside of 15-year-old Luther T. Farrell's head, he is our narrator. We get to listen in as he struggles to figure out his feelings and actions. Luther is a philosopher and he has a philosophical way of looking at almost everything. Some of the things he thinks are downright funny.

His friend Sparky is always thinking of ways to make money. These ideas put Luther in some humorous situations and in one almost serious trouble.

Sparky thinks Luther has it made because Luther has a job and his mother is a big time landlord who makes lots of money. But Luther is slowly facing the truth about his mother and her business.

The humor in this story almost conceals its difficult coming-of-age situation. The more Luther's story unfolds, all its ugly realities begin to show themselves and forces our hero to see things as they really are not as he hoped they would be.

This is a funny story but a not so funny Sarge!