Synopsis:

Born into slavery, Bass Reeves became the most successful US Marshal of the Wild West.
Many “heroic lawmen” of the Wild West, familiar to us through television and film, were actually violent scoundrels and outlaws themselves. But of all the sheriffs of the frontier, one man stands out as a true Bass Reeves.

He was the most successful Federal Marshal in the US in his day. True to the mythical code of the West, he never drew his gun first. He brought hundreds of fugitives to justice, was shot at countless times, and never hit.

Bass Reeves was a black man, born into slavery. And though the laws of his country enslaved him and his mother, when he became a free man he served the law, with such courage and honor that he became a legend.

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What To Expect:

Readers can expect a fictionalized account of the life of legendary African-American lawman Bass Reeves made for middle grade and adults readers alike.

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Content Warnings:

Language: Mild

Sexual Content: None

Violence: Moderate (for a Middle Grade book) – Mentions of murder, torture, and other frontier violence. They are not described in detail, but a sensitive child may find them disturbing.

Substance Use: Moderate – Some mentions of drunkenness, always depicted as bad

Prejudices: Moderate, considering this is a book about a black man who grew up a slave, then became a lawman in a white-dominated profession.

Religious Themes: Some mentions of the Bible and prayer

Other Topics: Upholding the law and justice is a big theme for this book, portrayed as being very important.

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