What do you think?
Rate this book
Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams
Discover the remarkable story of an orphaned Black boy who grew up to become the groundbreaking architect to the stars, Paul R. Williams. A stunning nonfiction picture-book biography from the Caldecott Honor-winning author and NAACP Image Award-nominated artist.
As an orphaned Black boy growing up in America in the early 1900s, Paul R. Williams became obsessed by the concept of home. He not only dreamed of building his own home, he turned his dreams into drawings. Defying the odds and breaking down the wall of racism, Williams was able to curve around the obstacles in his way to become a world-renowned architect. He designed homes for the biggest celebrities of the day, such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball, and created a number of buildings in Los Angeles that are now considered landmarks.
From Andrea J. Loney, the author of the Caldecott Honor Book Double Bass Blues, and award-winning artist Keith Mallett comes a remarkable story of fortitude, hope, and positivity.
As an orphaned Black boy growing up in America in the early 1900s, Paul R. Williams became obsessed by the concept of home. He not only dreamed of building his own home, he turned his dreams into drawings. Defying the odds and breaking down the wall of racism, Williams was able to curve around the obstacles in his way to become a world-renowned architect. He designed homes for the biggest celebrities of the day, such as Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball, and created a number of buildings in Los Angeles that are now considered landmarks.
From Andrea J. Loney, the author of the Caldecott Honor Book Double Bass Blues, and award-winning artist Keith Mallett comes a remarkable story of fortitude, hope, and positivity.
48 pages, Library Binding
First published October 4, 2022
1 person is currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Andrea J. Loney
17Ìýbooks33ÌýfollowersAndrea J. Loney grew up in a small town in New Jersey and received her MFA in dramatic writing from New York University. Since then, she has worked various jobs, from screenwriter to toy designer to software trainer, and she even ran away to live with a circus. Today Andrea spends most of her time writing the kind of books that she wishes had been available when she was a child—stories that embrace and reflect the humanity of all children. She lives with her partner, their two cats, and a betta fish in Los Angeles, California. Visit her online at
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 28, 2024
(4.0)Very informative! The illustrations weren’t my favorite. Nevertheless, the author highlights a talented architect who is able to navigate systemic racism to achieve the unthinkable.
December 12, 2023
Paul R. Williams was a successful Black architect for most of the 20th century. He grew up and lived in the United States in California in and near Los Angeles, designed homes for stars of Hollywood and didn't let racial walls deter him. Give this one with your children and students during Black History month or anytime that you are looking for a picture book biography to inspire or promote perseverance.
March 5, 2024
This excellent, well-illustrated picture book biography includes lots of rich details, artful illustrations, and even more information in the author's note. It's an inspiring story, and I love how the author didn't hold back about the racist barriers that Williams faced while also celebrating the creative, pragmatic ways that he worked around them. It doesn't soften reality to be inspiring, but still rejoices in his savvy and success.
December 5, 2022
"Once again, Paul can enter the building as the architect, but not as a Black person."
Fantastic story, well written for a young audience but with details adults can appreciate. The book includes a life timeline and photos of Williams work at the end. I recommend this as a great addition to any juvenile biography collection and an inspiration to aspiring architects. Not to mention, another unsung black hero in American history.
Fantastic story, well written for a young audience but with details adults can appreciate. The book includes a life timeline and photos of Williams work at the end. I recommend this as a great addition to any juvenile biography collection and an inspiration to aspiring architects. Not to mention, another unsung black hero in American history.
October 23, 2022
Relying on terms associated with drawing and architecture, this biography of a groundbreaking Black architect tells how Paul R. Williams dealt with racism and segregation in his own way. The digital illustrations feature various scenes in which he faced "the big stone wall of racism" (unpaged) as naysayers saw little hope for a young Black boy interested in a career as an architect. Facing various obstacles, Williams realized that he couldn't deal with it straight on but would need to find a way around it. This understanding is described vividly in the text: "It's too heavy to move. Too tall to climb. Too big to ignore" (unpaged). But Paul didn't let that wall keep him from achieving his dreams. He kept studying and honing his drawing skills, developing techniques related to size and proportion that appealed to future clients. But challenges are not unfamiliar to Williams. After all, his parents died when he was young, he was adopted, and he was the only Black boy in his school. Even as a certified architect, he couldn't live in certain parts of Los Angeles. Eventually, after winning design competitions, he builds mansions for several celebrities and politicians. At his death, he could boast of having designed 3,000 different buildings in various places in the world. And what surely must have been most satisfying of all, Williams was able to build his dream home for his family in a once-segregated LA neighborhood after a Supreme Court ruling. Youngsters will surely draw inspiration from his story and be impressed at his ability to sketch is designs upside down, something of a parlor trick that eased the doubts of possible clients. The back matter includes an Author's Note with a personal connection to the story, a Timeline, Selected Sources, and photos of some of his building projects. The endpapers include archival post cards of LA--that City of Angels where dreams just might come true--from years ago as well as some of the tools of Williams' trade. Some readers will be astonished to see just how much the city has changed from its early years to now, and many individuals will be pleased to learn about this patient, determined, resilient man who figured a way around those walls that threatened to hold him back. The artwork and the well-written text work perfectly together. Add this one to a class collection on builders or one focusing on groundbreakers or civil rights.
November 18, 2022
Curve and Flow is a picture book biography of Paul R. Williams' life as an architect in the early 1900s in Los Angeles. The story covers Williams' life growing up with little family and overcoming the racism of the time and curving and flowing around the obstacles to become one of the best architects of his time. The Illustrations are very well done and have a semi-realistic quality to them. The book ends with a timeline of Williams' life, author notes, and photos of some of the buildings Paul Williams worked on during his career. This is a well written story about overcoming racism and triumphing in the face of difficult odds.
December 31, 2022
In this beautifully written and illustrated picture book biography, Andrea Loney celebrates the life and career of LA African American architect Paul R Williams. As a trail blazer in his field, Williams' story is one of persistence and perseverance. Illustrator Keith Mallett captures Williams' influences and designs. The ending author's note provides additional insights. Additional resources are identified for further exploration of Williams' life. Five real photos are included at the end to highlight Williams' work. There is an extensive timeline also included in the end pages. Like many picture book biographies, this one celebrates a life many people do not know but should.
Read
March 7, 2025This book was about Paul R. Williams, a groundbreaking African American architect. He had a high-profile clientele and designed several major public landmarks. This book demonstrates his contributions to architecture during a time when racial barriers were extremely prominent. I picture this book starting conversations on future careers and showing students that they, too, can have a job in architecture even if their skin color is different than others in that field. Dismantling stereotypes and introducing children to different careers or STEM fields that they may have not heard of much before.
January 10, 2023
A story of perseverance! I hadn't heard of this architect, but his story is so inspiring because Paul Williams had dreams of designing homes at a young age and put his heart into building a dream home for his family while designing buildings for others--some of which he wasn't allowed to enter because of his race.
The illustrations are stunning and have a dream like quality that enhance the text.
The illustrations are stunning and have a dream like quality that enhance the text.
March 2, 2023
Andrea Loney presents the biography of Paul R. Williams, the first black architect to own his own business west of the Mississippi. Using the term of a "stone wall of racism," the author compares and contrasts the homes he can design but isn't allowed to live in. She uses the terms "curve" and "flow" to describe the LA region, the buildings he designs, and his ability to move around racist laws.
October 27, 2022
Absolutely wonderful. The dream-like text beautifully supports the "curve and flow" metaphor throughout. What wonderful choices author Andrea J. Loney makes with the way she tells this story - fully confronting the racism Williams faced but never allowing it to dampen the spirit of her subject or her readers. The illustrations are lush and luminous. Highly recommend!
August 30, 2023
As someone who works every day in one of Paul Revere Williams� buildings, this book really struck a chord. The La Concha Lobby in Las Vegas now serves as the home of The Neon Museum, and serves as a testament to PRE’s legacy and talent. What a wonderful treat to see this book in our gift shop, giving kids (and adults) an opportunity to learn about the trailblazer he truly was.
November 19, 2023
The artwork is really gorgeous, for both people and buildings which is not necessarily an easy combination, but is a nice tribute for Williams' story.
Parts of the story may be a little hard to relate to for younger children, but it's an important story, and can be good for demonstrating commitment to art and persistence.
Parts of the story may be a little hard to relate to for younger children, but it's an important story, and can be good for demonstrating commitment to art and persistence.
October 26, 2022
A beautiful book that brings the challenges and triumphs of Paul R. Williams to life in a way that is both informative and uplifting. I would read this to children ages 6+ because of the advanced vocabulary, Highly recommend.
December 12, 2022
The story of this American architect is well written. The illustrations are bright, deep and thought provoking. The main character combats the wall of racism and overcomes in a creative way. He becomes the best at his craft and teaches the reader that they can do the same.
May 30, 2023
This books tells the true story of how Paul R. Williams overcame adversity to become a world-renowned architect. It is a story about following your dreams and working hard to make them come true. The artful illustrations of this book brings the story to life.
January 11, 2024
Excellent and inspiring. I'd never heard of Paul R. Williams. The only thing I didn't love about this biography was the fact that it was written in present tense. It made it hard to follow in my opinion.
October 4, 2022
a fabulous biography with lots of details!!
October 25, 2022
Themes: Architecture, Housing, Racism
Age range: Elementary
Age range: Elementary
November 27, 2022
I am awed at the unending desire to BE that many Black people persisted, survived, and succeeded despite intentional barriers.
February 7, 2023
So glad Paul R. Williams' story is being told for today and tomorrow. Loved the narration and stunning illustrations, enjoyed the timeline of Paul's life woven into the broader US history.
February 14, 2023
Incredible story for children and the illustrations were amazing.
February 22, 2023
A beautiful life story about Paul R. Williams complimented with gorgeous artwork.
March 11, 2023
Beautiful art and educational.
April 26, 2023
Amazing architecture he created!
June 5, 2023
Needed much more pictures of the buildings he designed.
July 19, 2023
Wonderful story about a talented architect who triumphed over adversity. (though I do wish there hadn't been adversity to begin with)
August 9, 2023
I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. This book will show any reader that no matter your situation or what challenges you face in life, you can always overcome them!
November 19, 2023
Too wordy for a picture book.
June 4, 2025
Such a perfectly written PB biography. Loved it! Illustrations gorgeous, too! Inspirational story that should be shared widely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.