Héroes Afroamericanos del Salvaje Oeste (Black Heroes of the Wild West) - by James Oits Smith (Paperback)

About the Book

"Protagonistas "Diligencia" Mary, Bass Reeves, Bob Lemmons"--cover.

Book Synopsis

Exploring American history and finding diversity at its roots--now in SPANISH!

Now available in an affordable Spanish paperback edition, this award-winning graphic novel by James Otis Smith stars three real-life Black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities in the Old West. Meet Mary Fields, born into slavery in Tennessee before she became famous as "Stagecoach Mary," a cigar-chomping, card-playing coach driver who never missed a delivery; Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy US marshal west of the Mississippi, one of the wiliest lawmen in the territories, bringing thousands of outlaws to justice with his smarts; and Bob Lemmons, who was so good with horses that the wild mustangs on the plains of Texas took him for one of their own and who lived to be 99 years old. This graphic novel has won numerous accolades, including the TLA Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List, the ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List, and a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

About the Author

James Otis Smith is a writer and artist living in Brooklyn. He has collaborated on several graphic novels, including Showtime at the Apollo. Black Heroes of the Wild West is his first book as an author and illustrator. He says: "I was interested in finding stories of ordinary people who lived during Reconstruction, the period between the Civil War and the era of anti-Black terrorism called Jim Crow. This was the first time Black people in America were able to choose where they wanted to live, work, and raise their families. It was also the first time they could choose their own names. America was still deciding what kind of country it wanted to become, and these newly freed people--still a few decades shy of being full citizens--were in the process of becoming as well. These three stories are not the typical tales of violence in the Old West, but those of everyday African Americans born into slavery who had the courage and strength to choose to be whoever they wanted to be."