Wings on My Feet: Black Ulysses at the Wars

One of the few depictions of African Americans in World War I, Wings on My Feet (1929) follows the tale of Black Ulysses, John Wesley "Left Wing" Gordon, begun in Howard W. Odum’s Rainbow Round My Shoulder (IUP, 2006). On one level, the novel continues a symbolic journey of the African American spirit; on another, it tracks the experiences of one black soldier from draft to training, shipping out, landing, fighting, returning stateside, and reintegrating into society. The book also explores broader social issues of race, war, and prejudice. As the subtitle makes clear, it is the story not of one war but the various wars Black Ulysses has endured before, during, and after World War I.