th3_b1g_bu5h's review against another edition
5.0
Solidly unquestionable 5/5 in my book. Great story with a great message and purpose. The fictionalization was respectfully done and pays great tribute to the real men who this story is about.
kurtwombat's review against another edition
5.0
History has many dark corners and often there is little incentive to light a candle. Therefore I am grateful whenever someone breaks from the rote path of history, follow the big names and see where they lead us, and brings light to something new. WWI in general, let alone it's unique particulars, seldom gets much popular culture attention despite being one of the most devastating acts mankind has committed against itself. More people were hurt-killed-missing in the first month of WWI than were killed in the entirety of the American Civil War. The creative team of Max Brooks (writer) and Caanan White (artist) introduce us to THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS -- a unit of African-American soldiers who had to fight to get into combat, fought their way to heroism and medals in combat, and then despite their valor had to again fight racism upon their return "home". As with any minority achievement they had to be better to be considered equal and they excelled enough that their fearsome name was actually coined by the Germans they fought. The story as presented is riveting from induction into the service through boot camp and the crossing to Europe and to eventual combat and the travails of racism they encountered all along the way. Brooks moves from scene to scene weaving the narration of history and personal stories so that nary a thread is lost. Being a graphic novel, there is not a lot of room for exposition so there are sudden shifts from scene to scene to move the story along but the destination of each jump never feels random. There is no romantic hue or gloss but instead feels as immediate as the next room you might walk into and each scene stings as if from a fresh slap. Helping to convey this and perhaps surpassing the text is White's evocative artwork. The beauty of muscular youth is contrasted with hateful faces and the brutality of war. Every angle is the right one whether to highlight an expression or the overhead shot of a hospital or killing field. Of special note is the wide array of distinct African-American faces--certainly unique in my experience with graphic novels or even literature at large -- avoiding caricature and remaining human. The art and text work so well together that there is no sense that one is in the service of the other. Each could stand alone quite well but are marvelous when walking along together. Marvelous.
bigbear73's review against another edition
3.0
Max Brooks’ Harlem Hellfighters was a worthwhile and entertaining jaunt into WWI.
Max, who is rightfully well known for his excellent World War Z novel, put together this graphic novel based on accounts of several African Americans who served our country during the Great War. While this is a fictionalized telling, the story does a great job of driving home the impact of the pain and suffering this amazing group of men went through, all for a nation that was at the time going out of it’s way to avoid thanking them or even recognizing their efforts.
The story is well written and excellently drawn, and I felt like I was actually part of the action. I had trouble putting it down and made it through the book in two sittings, in spite of my busy schedule.
I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
Max, who is rightfully well known for his excellent World War Z novel, put together this graphic novel based on accounts of several African Americans who served our country during the Great War. While this is a fictionalized telling, the story does a great job of driving home the impact of the pain and suffering this amazing group of men went through, all for a nation that was at the time going out of it’s way to avoid thanking them or even recognizing their efforts.
The story is well written and excellently drawn, and I felt like I was actually part of the action. I had trouble putting it down and made it through the book in two sittings, in spite of my busy schedule.
I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
oneangrylibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This is a powerful and moving story of one of the most decorated and unsung regiments in our military. It is a must read and I am ashamed that these men are so forgotten in our history lessons. I simply loved it.
readerxxx's review against another edition
4.0
an interesting side of history that I knew nothing about.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
3.0
The Harlem Hellfighters is a semi-fictional telling of the story of the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I. This regiment was an African American unit that served its country during the war while suffering from prejudice and segregation from the US Army. Yes, I said "from" and not "within." Read the book and find out what I mean. It taught me a lot.
I really liked this book. It was a page turner. Unfortunately, sometimes it was a page turn-backer. While the writing and the artwork were both excellent, many times they did not work together. I frequently found myself asking, "what is this image about?" Things would come out of the blue.
The book is full of sudden, unannounced, unexplained flashbacks and scene changes. Which cause much page flipping. Also, while the characters are distinct before their enlistment, they are indistinguishable after they put on a uniform. I could not even tell black soldiers from white soldiers, which was an important of the story.
What I did like was the research put into the book. I spent a lot of time going back and googling different names throughout the book. I think this would have been a great ebook filled with hyperlinks to give the reader background information with a simple click as each referent came up.
For the most part, the story taught me some things I didn't know about the times and put some of them in context. Otherthings were in there for which the context was missing for me and I had to google (a lot of googling in this book). If you want an introduction to the African American experience in World War I, this is a good place to start.
I really liked this book. It was a page turner. Unfortunately, sometimes it was a page turn-backer. While the writing and the artwork were both excellent, many times they did not work together. I frequently found myself asking, "what is this image about?" Things would come out of the blue.
Spoiler
For example, on page 96, a solider is blown away by a sniper (which in itself was a bit confusing. Then on then next page is a full page spread showing a book of poetry covered in blood. Since there was no reference to this book before, I was unsure if this was a new scene or part of the old. The significance of the book was not explained until many pages later. However, I had long since googled it.The book is full of sudden, unannounced, unexplained flashbacks and scene changes. Which cause much page flipping. Also, while the characters are distinct before their enlistment, they are indistinguishable after they put on a uniform. I could not even tell black soldiers from white soldiers, which was an important of the story.
What I did like was the research put into the book. I spent a lot of time going back and googling different names throughout the book. I think this would have been a great ebook filled with hyperlinks to give the reader background information with a simple click as each referent came up.
For the most part, the story taught me some things I didn't know about the times and put some of them in context. Otherthings were in there for which the context was missing for me and I had to google (a lot of googling in this book). If you want an introduction to the African American experience in World War I, this is a good place to start.
david_agranoff's review against another edition
4.0
Brooks is a good storyteller, I think the art is good but presented some challenges to the story-telling. Interesting piece of history I didn't know about.
manadabomb's review against another edition
4.0
Max Brooks is well known for World War Z but this was the first I knew of a graphic novel by Brooks (and Cannan White as the illustrator). The premise was so interesting that I put this on my to-read list on Goodreads and was ecstatic to find it at my (little) local library.
The Harlem Hellfighters (as nicknamed by the Germans) were an regiment of black men who willingly enlisted in the Army during WWI when America finally decided to step into battle. The 369th infantry started off brave, stayed brave when white soldiers and civilians were killing them, when their own army was refusing to give them weapons or training, when they were finally sent over seas to fight and fight hard. They were not given a parade when they were sent out, but the white men were. So much of this novel is brutal but it's not the war portion that is heartbreaking. It's the racist acts by others that make me angry. If you enlist, you are brave and you are deserving of respect, regardless of your color or sex or anything.
This is a fictional account of a real regiment. Some of the characters are real people and at the end Brooks explains who people are. This is a terribly interesting portion of American history that I have never even heard of and now I want to know more!
In the end, they got their parade (along with many years of violent racism) and ended up being one of the most decorated regiments in the army. Take a look at this and then go find out more about this awesome history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEuoAl1elLU
The quote in this video that sums things up: "Had he been white, he would have walked out of that war with a Medal of Honor"
The Harlem Hellfighters (as nicknamed by the Germans) were an regiment of black men who willingly enlisted in the Army during WWI when America finally decided to step into battle. The 369th infantry started off brave, stayed brave when white soldiers and civilians were killing them, when their own army was refusing to give them weapons or training, when they were finally sent over seas to fight and fight hard. They were not given a parade when they were sent out, but the white men were. So much of this novel is brutal but it's not the war portion that is heartbreaking. It's the racist acts by others that make me angry. If you enlist, you are brave and you are deserving of respect, regardless of your color or sex or anything.
This is a fictional account of a real regiment. Some of the characters are real people and at the end Brooks explains who people are. This is a terribly interesting portion of American history that I have never even heard of and now I want to know more!
In the end, they got their parade (along with many years of violent racism) and ended up being one of the most decorated regiments in the army. Take a look at this and then go find out more about this awesome history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEuoAl1elLU
The quote in this video that sums things up: "Had he been white, he would have walked out of that war with a Medal of Honor"
shiradest's review against another edition
2.0