A Killer of Lions

A Killer of Lions tells the stirring story of “Buddy” A. Bowman, Jr., who ignores racial prejudice to heed his country’s call to enlist in the armed forces during World War II. Against his parents’ wishes, Buddy defies the military’s official policy of “Negro inferiority” and successfully bucks the system to follow his dream. Going from Harlem to the segregated South, he enters the Army, advances to flight school, and is eventually given assignments over Italy and central Europe. As part of the 332nd Fighter Group — four squadrons of black pilots — Buddy experiences ultimate glory over the skies of Germany fighting the Luftwaffe. On his last mission, Buddy is shot down over the Balkans and captured by the Nazis, but escapes into the Romanian countryside to join up with a band of Partisans, where he has a torrid love affair with Mariza. This compellingly authentic story of a fledgling aviator’s trials of manhood filled with near death episodes is not only certain to satisfy lovers of WWII adventure stories , but is also a significant addition to the literature on African-American achievement and the heroic deeds of the Tuskegee Airmen.