Wasted opportunity to write a solid history of the first African American generals in American history. This is not a biography per se but more of an inspirational or motivational piece with sparse example based on the author's ancestors. Limited on primary sources despite the multitude of opportunities to reference official documents. Even a brief explanation of their accomplishments that allowed them to rise to general officers would have been appreciated. An entire section of the book is geared towards self-help and motivational strategies to become successful and/or famous but nothing about the generals.

INVISIBLE GENERALS by Doug Melville is an amazing book that I first became aware of due to a feature on PBSNewsHour (see video link below). Melville is related to the first two Black generals in U.S. military history and he is clearly on a quest to honor them and recognize their contributions. So he should be. These men, Benjamin O. Davis and Benjamin O. Davis Jr., faced incredible pressures and unrelenting prejudice. Davis, Sr. had to enlist because, as a Black man, he could not get an appointment to West Point. His son was successful in that regard, but spent four years being ostracized; no one spoke to him or ate meals with him for the entire time. Their heroism and impact is readily apparent in the stories about their wartime service and subsequent contributions to plans for integrating the US military. Melville has created a very readable – yet astounding – recounting of family history and American history. Readers can sense his own pride and excitement in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsuOZDWvhAo