Bud, Not Buddy 
by Christopher Paul Curtis

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

As you learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and the Great Depression in Social Studies this year, you will have also experienced life in that time period through literature.   Bud, Not Buddy  provided you with a fascinating young black boy's views of the time.  Find out more as you continue your research of the 1930s.

     The Times:  1930s 

Library Resources:

Use the OPAC to search for information on... 

The Great Depression (973.9):    Some titles to browse...
    Growing Up in the Great Depression (973.91 WOR)
    Welcome to Kit's World:  1934 Growing Up during America's Great Depression (973.9 BRO)
     The 1930s (973.91 GER)
     Down Cut Shin Creek (027.0769 APP)
     Going to School During the Great Depression (370 GRA)

The Dust Bowl                                              

World War II (940.5):  Some titles to browse...
    Doing Our Part: American women on the homefront during World War II (940.53 SIN)
    Those Incredible Women of World War II (940.54 ZEI)    

Some additional titles...
    Entertainment (609 DOW)
    Entertainment:  screen, state, & stars (790 MOR)

Consult the general encyclopedias for your topic.

Internet Resources:                                

World Book Online - Start your research here to get some basic information about your topic.  (Please ask your librarian for your Login ID and Password.) (http://www.worldbookonline.com/)

American History - 1930-1939  Surviving the Dust Bowl, Riding the Rails (Hobos on the trains in the Great Depression) Eight of the Twentieth Century Presidents.

American Memory Timeline:  Great Depression and World War II

SnapShots - America in the 1930s  History through the eyes of those who lived it. 

Learning Adventures in Citizenship, 1931-1940 - Focuses on life in NY City during the Great Depression

New Deal Network:  A Guide to the Great Depression of the 1930s.  An online educational guide to the Roosevelt Administration and the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The Great Depression - Documenting America.  In the early years, the project emphasized rural life and the negative impact of the Great Depression, farm mechanization, and the Dust Bowl.

Songs of the Great Depression "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,"  lyrics by Yip Harburg, music by Gorney Harburg (1931)

WWW-VL: HISTORY: USA: 1930-1940  This is an outline of links to America in the 1930s.  Browse the outline and see if your topic appears. The Dust Bowl, Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, Amelia Earhart, Little Orphan Annie, and much, much more (University of Kansas site).

Riding the Rails - PBS' American Experience presents the story of 250,000 teenagers on the road during the Great Depression.  Enter the Timeline and you'll experience the changes that affected all Americans.  Special Features allows you to read the stories from teenage hobos and listen to audio of several hobo songs.

Comparing Prices from the Great Depression to NOW

Created by Barbara Swetits
Last updated 08/08/2006