Eugene Bullard

This fast-paced and informative young adult biography tells the story of pioneering black aviator Eugene Bullard from his birth in 1895 to his combat experiences in both World War I and II and, finally, his return to America. Before the United States joined World War I, a few Americans fought on France's side, including Eugene Jacques Bullard, the grandson of a slave. Bullard had faced discrimination in the U.S. and even the threat of lynching, but while growing up, he had listened spellbound to his father's stories about how in France everyone was treated equally. He ran away from home at 12 and eventually made his way to France, where he joined the French Foreign Legion and later the Lafayette Flying Corps, to become the world's first black fighter pilot. All the medals he received, however, weren't enough to fend off the prejudice he still faced when he returned to the United States.