Bud, Not Buddy Theme of Race

So, race is a pretty big topic in a lot of books, but in Bud, Not Buddy, we get a special insider perspective of the African-American experience through Bud's eyes. We see firsthand how hard life can be for a young black orphan boy in the 1930s, and we also see the variations in wealth within the black community: a lot of the black characters are very poor, but some of them are doing pretty well for themselves, like the Amoses and Lefty's family and Calloway's band. Bud's story shows us how all kinds of different people are living through the Depression, and it also shows us perspectives from that time we might not be very familiar with.

1. How does race play a role in Bud's story?
2. Does being African American change the way Bud is treated? By whom?
3. What class are the majority of African Americans in in this story? Do you think that is an accurate portrayal of African Americans during the 1930s? Why, or why not?
   

This book gives readers a positive look at African-American success during the Depression by giving good examples of how some families made money—for example, by working on the trains or playing music.

This book gives readers an overly positive view of African-American life during the Depression since most people from the black population didn't have good jobs at this time like the ones in this book.