Benjamin O. Davis Jr. had a distinguished military career. He graduated from West Point in 1936, joined the Army Air Corps, and led a squadron of fighters in World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he continued in service to his country. His service took him to Korea, Taiwan, Germany and the Philippines. Davis rose to the rank of Lieutenant General before his retirement in 1970. What makes Davis' journey so fascinating is that through out his military career he was opposed by those who felt that because of a particular physical characteristic, he was not capable of the job. Benjamin Davis was black. His autobiography, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., American, is a detailed account of his achievements and provides evidence of the success of his philosophy that, 'blacks could best overcome racist attitudes through their achievements.' His story is an inspiring one, though the telling of it is sometimes hampered by the lack of personal detail.
When reading an autobiography the reader evaluates the author as a person, what they did, what obstacles he or she overcame, and what their beliefs and opinions are. Next the reader evaluates how the author tells their story. The title of Davis' book gives us a clue as to the author and his character. It is simply, Benjamin O. Davis Jr. American. It is not 'General Davis,' or 'Black American,' or 'Fighter Pilot,' or any of the other titles he earned. In the title we can discern what he counts as most important, being an American. Perhaps that encompasses the creed of the West Point Military Academy; Duty, Honor, Country. This is ironic in that this same academy treated him so poorly. His persona is of a man with dignity, reserve and dedication to duty. He rarely speaks negatively of anyone with whom he worked. Benjamin Davis Jr. is a great man and his military record is proof of that. He did not need to write a book proving this, it is well documented. However, he was very important to the integration of the military and thus the civil rights movement and so his book helps the reader understand things that are not part of his official record. The purpose of General Davis's autobiography appears to be three fold. First, it is a telling of his extraordinary life. As the leader of a fighter squadron and his rise to Lieutenant General his story is of interest to anyone who is interested in military aviation and military history of these important times. Second, the book shows racism in society and the military and how it was practiced. And thirdly to show how he used achievement to overcome racist attitudes and thus was a factor in the integration of the military. Benjamin Davis focuses on the conviction that, 'blacks could best overcome racist attitudes through their achievements, even if those achievements had to take place within the hateful environment of segregation.' His book is a detailed account of those achievements.
With any good story there are obstacles that the protagonist must over come. His determination is evident as he endures the silencing at West Point and at Ft. Benning. The missions and the deeds of the Tuskegee Airmen in North Africa and Europe are exciting and stimulating. These were dynamic times to be an aviator. Davis' writing style has some faults, though. Too often, especially in the later part of the book, it is dry with little personal detail. At times it seems he is copying from his appointment book: who he met, where he went, or what award he presented.
What makes the book good is tracing the obstacles Davis had to over come to graduate from West Point and to build the first black fighter group. His book is not perfect in that it is dry at times and it leaves the reader wanting to know more of the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of this great man. But to be just, Benjamin Davis set out to be a military man not to be an author. The fact that he writes as well as he does, only increases my admiration for him.

I read this book about 4 years ago. It is a compelling read; one of those kind of books one will want to re-read again and again. The accomplishments of Benjamin Davis, Jr., one of the famous Tuskeegee Airmen, are well documented but not quite as well known. I wish every black person could read this book because what stands out is the excellence of a human being who would not quit. Moreover Gen. Davis, while he stands against racism, does not come across like so many of the racial hacks today (Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc.). He comes across as a man who, though black, follows principle more than some political vision of black triumph, which we have degenerated to today. So even though I say I wish every black person would read it to see how blacks can regain the sort of pride we once had without dependence on government, white people (or any other people) can get a lift from this book because what you see is a human being, who just happens to be black, triumphing with pride and dignity. I was so impressed after I read the book that I looked up Gen. Davis' address and wrote to him, asking for a response so that my sons could read it and I could use it as an example to them of a black man who had accomplished something great. To my surprise he responded very kindly. His book sticks in my mind as a great human triumph akin to the spirit of Richard Wright.