Captain Blackman
by John A. Williams
On This Page
Description
A black soldier gravely wounded in Vietnam finds himself transported to the battlefields of every war in America's history in this unique and mesmerizing novel From a jungle floor in Southeast Asia, Capt. Abraham Blackman travels back in time. In 1775, he is a freed slave taking up arms at Bunker Hill at the dawn of the Revolutionary War. He fights under Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and witnesses Nathan Bedford Forrest's notorious massacre of three show more hundred black Union Army troops at the Battle of Fort Pillow during the Civil War. As a buffalo soldier, Captain Blackman journeys west to fight with the US Army against hostile Indian tribes. And overseas, he joins segregated troops on the front lines in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. No matter the conflict, Blackman fights for a racist military establishment that expects black soldiers to die for the cause of "freedom"-even when they are denied it at home. Ultimately, Blackman's greatest challenge will take place in his own present day, in Vietnam, where he must battle not only to survive but for that most elusive of victories: justice. A stunning and thought-provoking historical novel that the New York Times Book Review called "among the most important works of fiction of the [1970s]" Captain Blackman brilliantly explores the complicated legacy of the African American soldier throughout US history. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Ugh. one of Williams' misses -- and it misses hard. An attempt to celebrate the african american contribution to military experience turns into a repetative, shallow novel that has a few good moments overshadowed by a lack of real exploration. perhaps it was too ambitious to try and cover every war in US history? Perhaps, also, it fails to do some basic work in developing the characters (who change slightly in every war that the main character appears in). Williams seems uninterested in clearly informing the reader whether the main character simply appears in each conflict or if he lives through the times of peace in between. no one seems to notice/care that a modern man keeps showing up from nowhere.
In the end, it seems to all be a show more mortal-injury related dream. but by then it doesn't matter. show less
In the end, it seems to all be a show more mortal-injury related dream. but by then it doesn't matter. show less
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
17+ Works 612 Members
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PS3573 .I4495 .C3 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1961-
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 59
- Popularity
- 523,583
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.20)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 2
