Captain Blackman - Book review

"Captain Blackman" by John A. Williams is a fascinating book, and an African American treasure that awaits all who would unearth this novel. “Captain Blackman” chronicles the life of a semi-conscious soldier during the Vietnam War. The soldier’s hallucinations take him through the combat experiences of the black military man throughout history from 1775 through 1975. Author John A. Williams is an African American and his title character Captain Blackman is also African American however this novel is not about exclusivity. Instead, "Captain Blackman" is a fictional account of a very real issue, racial inequality in the United States.

Plot

Captain Abraham Blackman, as an Army officer who is critically wounded during the Vietnam War, fades in and out consciousness throughout the novel. The mix of history and fantasy is impressive as well as the author’s ability to move from present to past with ease. Each time Blackman fades out he experiences a portion of black military history dating back to the Revolutionary War and moving through America's major military campaigns.

Living during a time of social and civil unrest, Blackman dares to come against the establishment, which has caused him to be alienated by his supervisors. Blackman is however a respected leader by his troops and, in their opinion, he deserves more than fair treatment and the mere rank of Captain. This respect stems mostly from his interest in black military history and a willingness to teach his black troops that they have a history worth recognizing. Nevertheless, the black military history seminars conducted by Blackman do not receive rave reviews by all in the military and this serves as a source of conflict in the novel.

Setting

The country of Vietnam serves as the backdrop for this novel. Traveling in his mind, Captain Blackman walks the roads of Virginia during the Revolutionary War and rides along side the Buffalo soldiers, a now legendary black cavalry unit, just to name a couple of experiences. Williams manages to mix historical accuracy with fantasy with an apparent ease that allows the reader to follow along almost effortlessly.

Characters

The protagonist, Captain Blackman, his girl friend, a member of the American embassy in Vietnam, along with his supervisors and troops make up the minor characters in the novel. During his journeys, Blackman meets these same characters with different identities in the past to which Blackman travels. Williams combines real characters with fictional ones and it is believable - quite a feat accomplished by the author.

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