Date: January 24, 2020Author: Tiffany 0 Comments — Edit

“The son of a former slave and an indigenous Creek woman, Bullard fled home at the age of eleven to escape the racial hostility of his Georgia community. When his journey led him to Europe, he garnered worldwide fame as a boxer, and later as the first African American fighter pilot in history.” This man lived more in his life than so many of us do! I had to read this one in order to find out how he made it all happen, or how it happened to him.

This history of an extraordinary African American man has everything in it! Bullard escapes the racism of southern America, becomes a well-known boxer, eventually traveling to France (a place his father had often refered to as a promised land free from racism). Once there, he continued his boxing career, joined the French fighter pilots during WWI and became the first African American fighter pilot (not that it gained him any recognition at home). After the war, unable to keep up a boxing career after several injuries, he worked in the Paris club scene where he eventually opened his own club/gym. His proximity to the Germans who were begining to flow into Paris before WWII led him and his coworker (perhaps lover) to become spies. When WWII started, he hoped to find his old regiment and fight again. Eventually, he and his two daughters made their way back to America, where Bullard spent the rest of his working days as an elevator operator. What a life!

This book had so many good things in it, as I would expect from a book with such an interesting subject. There was no lack of information about him to add to the dazzle. Well researched, with notes to explain parts that could not be verified other than from the words of the man himself.

The book could have used a little more editing in my opinion. There was a tendency towards repetition of facts (generally pointing out each time a female is mentioned that she might have been his lover, or might not). There were also passages that went into detail about the lives of his acquaintances that I felt did not add to the story being told.

BOOK STATS:
Title: All Blood Runs Red
Author: Phil Keith with Tom Clavin
Pages: 352
Age level: Adult (Older Young Adults)
Illustrated: No
Who I would give this book to: History buffs, kids doing African American Month projects, those interested in world wars, the 1920s, and interesting people.
Setting: America and France
Favorite Moment: When Bullard finally gets recognition despite the racist doctory who tried to keep it from him throughout his military career.
Rating: 4 stars
Book Source: NetGalley

Eugene Bullard should be a name every American should know, as he had an extraordinary life. He was the son of a former slave who ran away from home at the age of 11 in hopes of making it to Europe, where he heard he would not have to deal with the racial divide that existed in Georgia. He eventually found his way to France after a stop in Scotland and England where he became a boxer. While in France, he became the first black fighter pilot during the first World War. He would go on to receive twelve medals for his service during the war - all received from France (he was not allowed by the American military to be a pilot due to the color of his skin, so he reenlisted with the French Foreign Legion,) but nothing about him was reported in his home country due to the racism in the U. S. media. After the war, he would be a promoter and owner of jazz clubs and singers, and was briefly a spy during World War II. Based on his autobiography, this book shows how through pure determination, Bullard was able to have a successful life despite the prejudice of the day. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about a little known American hero, or enjoys history or biographies.

This book was amazing! I always find it so heartwarming to read about strong people who helped shape the world. This man could "do it all!" Fighter pilot in 2 wars, boxer, jazz musician, and so much more! What a true phenomenon!
I had actually never heard of this man before requesting this book through NetGalley and I am glad I did! I'm so thankful that the author took the time to research this man and help future generations to learn about true heroism.

Eugene Bullard lived an extraordinary life. I found the story about Bullard to be fascinating and for his time, amazing. To think that a boy from a small Southern town riddled with prejudice, he accomplished great things.

The writing felt a bit unpolished and rough this might have been intentional to match the story, I am not sure.

If nothing else, I would recommend this book to anyone to learn more about this great American.

Nicely researched and well presented. This book was an easy read of a very impressive individual. I would enthusiastically recommend this title to library patrons.

Not my cup of tea but an informative book about a man who dreamed big, pulled himself up by his bootstraps and fulfilled his dreams.

Eugene Bullard was a boxer, pilot, club impresario, and spy in the early to mid-twentieth century. With a life story ripe for a biopic, racism has long kept his story in the shadows. Bullard was the first African American fighter pilot, flying in World War I for France. A decorated war veteran, Bullard owned and managed a Parisian nightclub between the world wars, welcoming greats of the Jazz Age to his stage and as his guests. As the shadow of the Third Reich loomed, Bullard spied for France, garnering more honors. The latter years of his life were lived out in relative obscurity in the United States.

So why hasn’t the story of Bullard made it big yet? Obviously, the systemic racism of the United States is the dominant reason. Another reason, likely with the same root cause, is the lack of source information. The authors are honest about this, and provide examples of times when Bullard’s own retelling of his story directly contradicts the remaining evidence, such as his report that his wife died after five years of marriage, when death records show that she outlived Bullard by a number of years.

I occasionally found the book challenging because it was highly episodic and frequently took extended detours into the biographies of other individuals. The volume of detours, particularly in the first third to half of the book, often buried Bullard’s story. Those asides sometimes took the book from a biography towards a microhistory, addressing professional boxing at the beginning of the twentieth century and the Paris club scene in the 1920s and 1930s.

Final verdict: An interesting story, but it suffers a bit in the telling. Recommend for those with a strong interest in biographies of little-known historical figures, with the understanding that source information is limited, so details may be more sparse than in biographies of more widely known individuals.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this work from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

A fascinating, inspiring story - I'm so glad more people will have the opportunity to learn about Mr. Ballard!

(Note: I submitted this for LibraryReads on Edelweiss before the deadline.)

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book details the life of Eugene Bullard, the first African American pilot. He lived a fascinating and eventful life.

Terrific, interesting book about an overlooked African-American hero of both World War I and WWII. Any one of these chapters could have been a book on its own.

I am really appreciating the story of Eugene Bullard. He was an exceptionally driven man who sought out adventure, and places where he could be accepted as an equal. As a library that collects widely in African American history, I will recommend that this be added to the collection.

I had never even heard of Eugene Bullard before I read this book. His bravery and determination is truly inspiring, especially in the face of the many hardships he faced. It's amazing to consider that one person's life could take so many drastic turns, from poverty and prejudice in the American South to the itinerant life of a sailor, boxer, soldier, pilot, and even a spy. Moreover, his story sheds light on the African-American experience during this important time. So often our Black History Month curricula skip from the Emancipation Proclamation to Rosa Parks, with hardly a mention of those difficult decades in between. Eugene Bullard's spirit of self-determination in these difficult times is inspiring today.

The biography may be a bit long and slow-paced for assigning to K-12 students, but excerpts would be a great addition to history and social studies lesson plans.