The Legend of Bass Reeves, by Gary Paulsen, is appropriately subtitled Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West. Gary Paulsen draws on both factual newspaper accounts and his own imagination to fill in the gaps in the story of this little-known hero.
     In order to draw in the young reader, most of the book deals with Bass’s early life as a young slave. Paulsen says in the author’s note that “The part about his boyhood is the longest because to me it was the most important part of his life, the fire that forged him.” Bass lives with his mother and his owner (a man he simply calls “Mister”) in Texas, scraping out an existence as best he can. Bass does something that gets him into trouble, so he leaves home and lives in the wild for a couple of years. It is during this period that he has several near encounters with the Comanche tribe of Native Americans. Paulsen does a good job of relating the history of the Native Americans under the hand of the U.S. government. There is a section on the Trail of Tears that would fit into an American History lesson quite nicely. This would also be a suitable choice for reading during Black History Month. For reluctant readers, at only one hundred and thirty-seven pages, it would also be an excellent choice for a book report.
     Familiar names like Kit Carson, Wild Bill Hickok and Billy the Kid that we know from western movies are mentioned. But they are not portrayed as heroes like they are in the movies. There was a man who was both a hero and a legend, and that was Bass Reeves. He was born in 1824 and lived until 1910. He was the most successful federal marshal in the history of the United States and he did not become a marshal until he was fifty-one years old! While working in the Indian Territory, he brought thousands of fugitives to justices. According to written accounts, Reeves never drew his weapon first and most often let the other shoot first before he returned fire. His hat and clothes were filled with bullet holes, his horses were killed and his rifles were shot to pieces. Bass Reeves was never hit with a bullet!
     Reeves died on January 12, 1910 of Bright’s Disease. He is buried in an unmarked grave and there have been no western novels of Hollywood movies made about him. However, his adventures make this book a great read! Young readers, especially those who love the Old West, will enjoy this book.
     Tammy DiBartolo is the Youth Services Manager of the Rapides Parish Library.  She works at the Main Library.