The Harlem Hellfighters is a story of the 369th infantry Regiment of World War I.This regiment was composed of only African Americans who showed pride at a time of Racism and Bigotry,(Bigotry was intolerance towards people who have different opinions as them).At first there was hesitation to send African Americans into battle.The south's argument was that who would take care of the farms but eventually black soldiers were needed.A man named Hayward made sure African Americans got a part in the war.A military training camp for black men was opened.There was next a question of who would lead the blacks.But the south had another altercation with the blacks from the north.The south had ridden through the 29th infantry's town and they saw that as harassment.When the two sides met gunfire was exchanged and in the end 2 blacks were killed while 17 whites were killed.The remaining blacks were hung.The south then wrote a statement saying things like"If those colors go into our soda stores expecting to be served they will be knocked down",and "we don't allow negroes to use the same glass that a white man would later drink out of".They did not want any blacks to have freedom.I don't want to do what I did on my other reports and spend too much time talking about plot so I will skip to the end.The 369th Infantry regiment was led by General John nicknamed black jack.The extreme battle of Meuse-Argonne was a turning point.The allies fought hard and lost many men.But in the end an armistice on November 11 declared the war over.The men came home to some glory and a lot of racism.
This book is a great book.It talks about a rank that at the time was thought to be impossible.With all the racism in World War I these African Americans still fought for their country.Led into battle by the amazing General John they won World War I on the battle of September 1918.It shows the struggles of blacks.Even after slavery was abolished people in the south had slaves.They even had separate facilities for blacks and whites.Overall this book deserves 5 stars. ( )

The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage by Walter Dean Myers and Bill Miles is a book for ages 9-12 and chronicles the exploits of the “Harlem Hellfighters,” who were African-American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment of World War 1. Miles writes the preface to the book and talks about his personal connection to the unit and Harlem, eventually becoming the unit historian.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/03/the-harlem-hellfighters-when-pride-met-coura... ( )

The 369th Infantry Regiment was a black WWI regiment whose mere existence was so troublesome to the United States Army, that the Army signed the 369th over to French command for the duration of the war. Even without adequate training, even having to fight with unfamiliar weapons under the command of officers they couldn't understand, the 369th performed valiantly, never giving up ground to the Germans and never allowing any of their men to be taken prisoner.

This volume is written for kids, but it isn't a lightweight gloss on the material: it runs 150 pages, and Myers uses the space well, managing to explain the political conflicts that caused the regiment to be formed, and then signed over to French command. Myers does a nice job with the emotional notes, as well -- the soldiers' dreams that honor on the battlefield will be a stepping stone toward equality, the terror and rigors of trench warfare, the heroism of individual soldiers, the infuriating belittling of their achievements from their racist officers. Myers draws a rich picture of the 369th and the world it operated in, populating it with full individuals. Neither bad guys nor good guys become caricatures -- each have their own hopes, goals, histories, and fears.

A marvelously done book, and highly recommended. ( )