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Black Fire: The Making of an American Revolutionary
A personal account of one soldier's political awakening. The author describes his childhood in rural Minnesota, his encounters as a teenage adventurer on freight trains, and his tour of duty as a soldier in the all-black 93rd Infantry Division.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 20, 2014
Perhaps the best autobiography I've read and certainly the best by an African-American radical (remember, the Autobiography of Malcolm X was actually written by Alex Haley). Peery has crafted a gripping narrative of young Black man coming of age during the Great Depression and his experiences in the Jim Crow US Army in the Pacific during WWII while serving in the all-Black Ninety-third Infantry Division and how those experiences forged a conscious revolutionary world view. I was especially intrigued by his portrayal of the revolutionary struggle in the Philippines with which he becomes involved while stationed there. Peery eventually became an organizer in the CPUSA and the Communist Labor Party and I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Black Radical: The Education of an American Revolutionary, which depicts his involvement in the African-American freedom struggle in the US following the war.
January 30, 2011
brutal, complicated, illuminating
August 15, 2008
This book gives perspectives of an African-American man growing up in Minnesota in the 1930's and 40's. He shares reflections on serving in the military during World War II, and the racism that prevailed throughout that experience. A interesting look into a personal history, that has us consider where we are now.
January 10, 2021
This is an excellent story about one amazing man's journey.
February 14, 2016
If there ever was a great argument for your local bookstore, this book is it. I had no idea who Nelson Peery was when I saw this book browsing a local shelf, but after buying it on a whim, I was bowled over by this great personal history of a black man's journey from Minnesota to the Pacific Front of WWII.
Nelson Peery pens this great autobiographical examination of his political radicalization as he matures from a young boy in white MN, to the sergeant of one of the few full black infantry fighting forces in WWII (the 93rd). At every juncture of his life, Peery does a fine job of not only describing his personal experience, but also contextualizing it in larger social/historical issues of the time. There were so many perspectives I had never considered in other readings, middle-american black experiences of the depression, black hobo culture(!), the lengths with which the US government went to not only segregate opportunities for soldiering, but also the huge international outcry NOT to let black servicemen be deployed in those nations to fight fascism. The size and scope of racism abroad, as much as at home, was truly eye-opening.
Again, I have to come back to a common theme of memoir as a means to tell history, this book is not only very well written and engaging, it surveys a much larger social history than I could have gotten via a straight non-fiction history book, or book about WWII. I am very excited to read Peery's follow-up book next! (also purchased at the local bookstore...)
Teachers and Librarians, request this book for your courses and collections!
Nelson Peery pens this great autobiographical examination of his political radicalization as he matures from a young boy in white MN, to the sergeant of one of the few full black infantry fighting forces in WWII (the 93rd). At every juncture of his life, Peery does a fine job of not only describing his personal experience, but also contextualizing it in larger social/historical issues of the time. There were so many perspectives I had never considered in other readings, middle-american black experiences of the depression, black hobo culture(!), the lengths with which the US government went to not only segregate opportunities for soldiering, but also the huge international outcry NOT to let black servicemen be deployed in those nations to fight fascism. The size and scope of racism abroad, as much as at home, was truly eye-opening.
Again, I have to come back to a common theme of memoir as a means to tell history, this book is not only very well written and engaging, it surveys a much larger social history than I could have gotten via a straight non-fiction history book, or book about WWII. I am very excited to read Peery's follow-up book next! (also purchased at the local bookstore...)
Teachers and Librarians, request this book for your courses and collections!
September 25, 2007
Author Details: Michael had Nelson come talk to our class last quarter and read an excerpt from his forthcoming book. They met while Michael was teaching a writing workshop at The Guild, but it is clear that the relationship between the two is one of collaboration, of mutual respect in each others lives and work. It made me value the relationships I have that emulate this (Davi) and look forward to discovery of other such relationships.
Book Details: I've always had a hard time learning about history and politics because so much of what I've been taught has been dates, names, and events--the facts. And facts are never really that interesting to me unless they are grounded in a story, in a person. Reading Jane Addams biography earlier this year, I felt like I finally was able to begin to understand the time period that inspired her to create Hull House. Similarly, with Nelson memoir, I have a whole new understanding of American before and after WWII, especially from the perspective of the black men that served.
Book Details: I've always had a hard time learning about history and politics because so much of what I've been taught has been dates, names, and events--the facts. And facts are never really that interesting to me unless they are grounded in a story, in a person. Reading Jane Addams biography earlier this year, I felt like I finally was able to begin to understand the time period that inspired her to create Hull House. Similarly, with Nelson memoir, I have a whole new understanding of American before and after WWII, especially from the perspective of the black men that served.
January 14, 2013
Wow, I had no Idea that black troops were treated so bad in WWII, truly an eye opening first hand experience of Jim Crow in and out of the Military...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews