Child of the Fighting Tenth: On the Frontier with the Buffalo Soldiers
Gr. 6-9. Forrestine "Birdie" Cooper spent her childhood on the American frontier, living among the Tenth U.S. Calvary--a regiment of black troops with white commanders--of which her father was an officer. In this never-before-published memoir, she recounts her experiences, many of which are vividly memorable: keeping her pet mice warm inside her mother's gloves, where they accidentally suffocated; a soldier being smoked instead of embalmed because the army lacked the appropriate supplies; encounters with Quannah Parker and Geronimo. The author's comments about African Americans, Native Americans, and Mexicans reflect the prevailing attitudes of nineteenth-century whites, although Hooker does note that Native Americans were frequently mistreated by government agents. Almost as interesting as what Hooker includes are the stories she omits; she describes her friendship with a young officer, but never mentions her husband. It's not clear where Hooker's writing ends and Wilson's editing begins, but this is nonetheless a compelling addition to the frontier memoir genre that will be popular with history buffs and useful in class. A chronology, a list of places to visit, and a bibliography are appended.Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved