The Black Badge: Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves from Slave to Heroic Lawman

by Paul L. Brady

"The Black The Life Of Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves," Paul L. Brady will keep you hanging on every word, every twist and turn in Bass Reeve's life. At a time when slavery was a very recent memory, and "Negroes" kept their place, Bass Reeves became a deputy marshal—known for his courage and skill with a gun. Unable to read or write, he would carry a handful of writs for the arrest of notorious outlaws, and always produce the right writ for the right man. He spent a lifetime upholding a legal system that failed to recognize him and members of his race as human beings, equal to whites.

Genres: History

254 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2005

Reviews

[Theophilus (Theo) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Written by one of his descendants, a great nephew who is a retired judge. To me, the story of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. marshall, is one of the most fascinating real stories in American western history. I've read children's books about him, a fictious narrative by Gary Paulsen, and a historical account of his life by historian, Art Burton. This puts them all together. Paul Brady, who followed his great-uncle's path down the law enforcement trail, tells the story of this real-life hero from the family perspective. He relates tales told him by his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It almost feels like you're at a Reeves family reunion. Great for adults and teens alike who want to know about the positive influence African Americans had in the frontier West as well as the Eastern part of the United States in areas other than entertainment or sports. Bass Reeves left a huge footprint throughout Oklahoma, northern Texas, and northwest Arkansas. With the odds always against him, he strove throughout his life to cleanup his territory by enforcing the law, including tracking down and arresting his own son.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know a little bit about Bass Reeves from reading a picture book about him and from seeing him pop up in a couple of TV shows about time travel, and I wanted to learn more. I chose this book because it was written by his great nephew, who never met him, but did grow up with stories about him from family members who did know him. I really enjoyed it, but I wish there had actually been more stories. The scholarly aspect of the book wasn't extremely strong (although Brady clearly did his research, it just didn't read like a book by a professional biographer), but the family stories part is less than I would have thought based on the description of the book. Overall, a good read, even though I still don't feel like I know as much as I want to about Bass Reeves. I know there are several fiction books about him and at least 1 other biography, so I may check them out eventually.

[Crazy for Books (Stephanie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who just isn't that interested in history, I really loved this story of a man I knew nothing about. Bass Reeves was strong, independent and wanted to believe in the American way even when his race and station were thrown in his face. He believed in God and the rule of law. He believe that if you followed the rules you would prevail. I have to say that the plight of the American Indian, although not the purpose of this book, hurt my heart. They did everything they could to conform to the White man, to the point of having slaves themselves and fighting on the side of the confederacy, and they were used and thrown away. They got the raw end of the stick at every turn, even in this book. Bass married a woman who was part White, African and American Indian and sympathized with the Indian people as much as his own.

Bass tried to believe that the law would work in everyone's favor and that if you "pulled yourself up by your bootstraps," you could succeed. Little did he know that at every turn the concessions given would be ripped away. His own sun ended up hating the law that Bass so loved and tried to uphold.

This is a great story of perseverance, but also a lesson in knowing who you are, where you come from and that you are the only person who can control your destiny.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good telling of the story of Bass Reeves, an under-reported law-enforcer of the late Wild West period. The telling is a bit lack luster, and the sourcing could be improved, but it's an important book nonetheless.