Book Review – The Legend of Bass Reeves

The legend of Bass Reeves: being the true and fictional tale of the bravest quarterback in the West

(Gary Paulsen, Wendy Lamb Books)

Ten-year-old Bass Reeves and his mother were slaves on Mister’s ranch. Bass ran the ranch almost alone. There is another slave on the ranch named Flowers, who could not speak because “… he was whipped and beaten, and that caused the thinking part of his brain to turn off.” All three worked under the watchful eye of the mean Mister.

When the lord drank, he got even more evil. He taught Bass to play cards so he could have company. After Bass got good at cards, Mister put in the money for Bass to play, starting with nickels all the way to fifty cents. One night when Bass had won all his money, the gentleman bet Bass the freedom of him and his mother. Bass was almost 17 years old and yearned to be a free man.

Then he caught the lord cheating. Mister threw down his cards and hit Bass on the head. Bass hit him back. Enraged, the lord pointed his gun at Bass. Knowing that he was about to die, Bass hit him with a jug of whiskey. The lord came down. Bass believed he had killed the lord. When he heard the shot, his mother came running. Before long, Bass was running for his life, never to see his mother again. He escaped to Indian territory and began life as a free man.

Bass survived on the deer and buffalo it hunted. He learned to read the sounds and movements around him. Once he had to kill two men in self-defense. On another occasion, he saved a little Creek girl (Indian) from being killed by three wolves. He lived with the Creek Nation for 22 years.

The historical legend of Bass Reeves really began when he was fifty-one years old. The US government needed someone familiar with Indian Territory to be a sheriff and recruited Bass Reeves. From 1862 to 1907, Bass Reeves was an American Marshall who brought in fugitives. In 1907, the city of Muskogee asked Bass Reeves, 81, to be the city sheriff. His story is exciting and worth investigating.

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