Eugene Bullard

November 15, 2013
At the beginning of the 20th century, a young African-American runs away to France and becomes heroically involved in both world wars. Eugene Bullard's father's stories about racial freedom in France resonated with the boy, and he left home determined to experience it. He stowed away on a ship to Aberdeen, Scotland, worked the docks and learned to box in Liverpool, England, and eventually made his way to Paris. As World War I approached, Bullard joined the French Foreign Legion, received aviation training and became a pilot in the French Air Service. Between the two world wars, Bullard remained in Paris, working as a boxer, a musician, and nightclub and gym owner, but once World War II began, he joined the Resistance. After being wounded, Bullard returned to the United States, where he remained for the rest of his life. Eugene Bullard had many fascinating adventures that will engage readers, but the scant sourcing and admittedly fabricated dialogue limit this as informational text. Greenly references a biography that used Bullard's memoir and interviews, but readers have no way to determine what was supported by that work or by others. There is little explanation about the larger African-American expatriate community in Paris. Though shaky as nonfiction, when read as historical-fiction, this is a worthwhile introduction to a decorated hero of two world wars who overcame obstacles in difficult times. (photographs, French pronunciation guide, index) (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from February 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* The incredible story of Eugene Bullardan African American honored by the French, yet shunned by the Americansis one too long neglected. The seventh child of a former slave, Eugene recalled his father frequently saying, In France . . . blacks are treated as well as whites. Someday I'll take you there. At 11, Eugene ran away from home, making his own way to France, although it took him 8 years to get there. For the first several months, he boxed for a living, but when he noticed many young men enlisting in the military, he followed. On October 9, 1914, he was sworn in as a member of the French Foreign Legion, and five weeks later, he was fighting in the frontline trenches of WWI. In three years he had received his French military pilot's license, becoming the world's first black fighter pilot. Though his heroic deeds brought recognition from the French, a white American doctor in Paris became a constant stumbling block for further progress in Eugene's life and career. When Bullard returned to the U.S., he faced racial bias until his death in 1961. Using Bullard's memoirs and other sparse information about him, Greenly crafts a moving, novelistic biography that portrays Bullard's courage throughout his life. Meanwhile, the black-and-white photos, of everything from a teenage Bullard boxing to wartime aircrafts, add plenty of historical flavor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)