Christopher Paul Curtis was born on May 10, 1953 in Flint, Michigan. He's the second oldest of five children born to Herman and Leslie Curtis. His father was a doctor and his mother was a homemaker. He was a good student who loved reading and had a talent for writing.
After graduating from high school in 1971, he got a job at the Fisher Body plant working on the assembly line making cars. Back in those days, Flint was full of jobs where people with or without high school diplomas could make good money, enough to buy a house and take care of their families. But the main thing on Christopher's mind was making enough money to buy a car!
Christopher ended up working on the assembly line for thirteen years, hanging eighty-pound doors on cars. At night, he attended classes part-time at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan, working toward a degree in political science.
With the support of his wife, he took a year off to realize his dream. He set up shop in the local library and began writing his first book.
He entered his finished book in a contest held by a large publishing company and even though the book didn't win, the judges liked it so much they decided to publish it anyway. The book went on to win several awards including the Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott Author Honor awards. This book was "The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963”.
Watch this video to learn more about Christopher Paul Curtis:
Want more information? Go to the official Christopher Paul Curtis website at: http://www.nobodybutcurtis.com/resources.html
