The Legend of Bass Reeves

Narrated by Dion Graham. This "true and fictional account" makes me want to learn more about the best U.S. Marshal of all time. His story would make a great movie, a la "True Grit." Paulsen focuses on Bass' youth, creating a bit of fiction to explain the man Bass would become. Graham's deep-voiced narration tends to dip in volume making some words hard to pick up, but he does a good job bringing Bass' wild West to life.

An amazing story of a boy raised in slavery who escaped and lived with Indians in Indian territory eventually becoming one of the finest Texas Rangers. He was strong, honest, true, and a real American hero.

Gary Paulsen works his magic depicting the horrors of slavery and the brutality of life for all in the Indian territory. A real adventure and lesson in history. A great read.

What makes a hero in the Old West? Hollywood and dime story novels made legends of many of the wrong people and have overlooked one of the bravest men this country has known. That man was a former slave named Bass Reeves. Reeves was born into slavery but became one of the greatest lawmen in the Old West.

Bass Reeves was born in 1838 and is thought to be one of the first African-Americans to be comissioned as a Deputy US Marshal. For the first 17 years of his life, he was a slave "owned" by his master George Reeves (as far as I know, no relation to the George Reeves of Superman fame), a farmer. Just before the Civil War, Bass parted ways with his master and ran to Indian Territory, where he lived among the Creek and Seminole Indians for about 20 years. Later he moved to Arkansas, where he married twice and had 10+ children. There he was approached by the well-known Judge Isaac Parker (aka the Hanging Judge), who heard about his life living in Indian Territory. Bass Reeves spoke many Indian dialects and knew the land intimately. During show more his time as a lawman, he pursued and caught many a criminal using unique methods for the time. He would go undercover and disguise himself to catch his man. He even had to dress up as a woman at one point. He had to track down and arrest his own son for murder. During his 30+ years of service, he was shot at many times, but never hit. He became a constable at the ripe old age of 81. Bass Reeves was a well-respected and feared lawman of his time. A lot of his history still remains a mystery, but what is know about him is this...he was honorable, steadfast, feared, and respected. Bass was truly worthy of legendary status. In the words of US Marshal Leo Bennet, "He never shirked his duty."

This somewhat fictionalized account of Bass Reeves from age 10 toward the end of his career is a great first-person narrative. Paulsen gives you some historical background throughout, but for the most part you get to see the world through Reeves' eyes. From the 10-year-old boy who still relies on his Mammy to the great man he would eventually become, Bass Reeves is a man to remember. If you are a younger reader interested in Reeves, I highly recommend Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy US Marshal, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Ages 5+).

Ages 12+

Publisher: Laurel Leaf (January 2008)

ISBN: 9780553494297

Available as an eBook. show less

As a twelve year of boy, Bass lived on a homestead 20 miles west of Paris Texas with his Mammy, Flowers (an older black servant who had been beaten so much he no longer spoke) and his drunken Mister, who used to be a ranger. A forced poker game gone wrong sends Bass running, never to return. Interspersed within tales of his travels are real historical facts of the opprobrious extermination of Native Americans and the trail of tears. Bass is invited to live with the Creeks after he saves Betty from wolves, and after Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation, he marries twice, becomes a successful rancher and has many children. Parker the “hanging Judge,” commissioned to clean up the riotous territory asked Bass to become a deputy based show more on his language knowledge, and prolonged success in such a hostile environment. He has been egregiously left out of history books and this story is a welcome breath of fresh literary air.
If You Liked This, Try: The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman, Bread and Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson, Crispin: At the Edge of the World by Avi, Flotsam by David Wiesner, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine. show less

Another rollicking adventure from the master. Kids who like tall tales like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill will eat this up.

This book is about a black man named Bass that became a very famous marshall, or sheriff. When he was a boy, he and his mother were slaves for a man who loved to drink. He actually liked it because he wasn't too mean and they got lots of good food. His mother told him that he had a power, but he didn't believe her. One day, while he was fetching water, he saw a wolf, and it said to him, "Things will change." Later, things did change. They changed a lot.

I liked this book, because it tells of what hardships Bass had to over come as a kid. because it was a Western, too. When he was only twelve, his owner gave him a gun to protect the farm from Native Americans that attacked the farm. They came, but they survived. Bass liked to play poker show more with his owner, and one day he bet him that he could beat him, because he usually didn't. If Bass won, he would be free, and his owner agreed. Bass won, so he was free for life, but he didn't free his mom. He grew up to be a famous sheriff, and he caught lots of criminals. People have heard that he outlived his mother, growing up to be 81. He never got he recongnition he deserved, but he'll always be remembered. show less