Bad Wing Crow — Jim Powell

Bad Wing Crow is a work of historical western fiction focusing on the life struggles and adventures of a young African American man, Samuel Tucker, and his family. It is a story of survival in the face of the extreme injustice and prejudice that prevailed in the Civil War and post Civil War eras.

In large measure, it's about retaining one's pride and humanity during these difficult times while, ultimately, seeking justice.

Perhaps as many as one third of the cowboys of the American West were of African descent.

Samuel Tucker's life roughly parallels that of such historical figures as Bass Reeves and Nat Love. Like them, he becomes uncommonly proficient with a gun, and he learns to be adaptable and patient and to not fight battles that can't be won, but he doesn't give up on his quest for justice. He also does his best to avoid sinking to the level of his adversaries, but this is a difficult challenge and reality dictates a degree of compromise on that score.

Interpersonal relationships play a huge role in spite of Tucker's efforts to escape into a life of solitude. An unexpected romance sneaks into the picture as well, and becomes the catalyst that makes things start to happen real fast.

By the time he is ten years old, Sammy Tucker has seen his father hanged, his mother sold off at auction, and his hand cut off for touching a white girl. His wise and strong grandfather is the only family he has left. At the age of sixteen, in spite of the close relationship with his grandfather, he leaves Arkansas and heads west. His purpose is to escape the past, but he knows that one day he will return, and that he and his grandfather will settle the score with the three white men responsible for the hardships his family has endured. In the course of his journey, he earns a name and a reputation, falls in love, and picks up some valuable friends and allies.