Invisible Generals

This amazing true story of Americas first Black generals, Benjamin O. Davis Sr. and Jr., a father and son who helped integrate the American military and created the Tuskegee Airmen, is the book Black America needs in this moment (Eboni K. Williams, lawyer and cohost of State of the Culture). Red Tails, George Lucass celebration of Americas first Black flying squadron, the Tuskegee Airmen, should have been a moment of victory for Doug Melville. He expected to see his great-uncle Benjamin O. Davis Jr.the squadrons commanderimmortalized on-screen for his selfless contributions to America. But as the film rolled, Doug was shocked when he realized that Ben Jr.s name had been omitted and replaced by the fictional Colonel A. J. Bullard. And Bens father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., Americas first Black general who helped integrate the military, was left out completely. Dejected, Doug looked inward and realized that unless he worked to bring their inspirational story to light, it would remain hidden from the world just as it had been concealed from him. In this thoughtful, highly readable blend of family and military history (Kirkus Reviews), Melville shares his quest to rediscover his familys story across five generations, from post-Civil War America to modern day Asia and Europe. In life, the Davises were denied the recognition and compensation theyd earned, but through his journey, Melville uncovers something greater: that dedication and self-sacrifice can move proverbial mountainseven in a world determined to make you invisible. Invisible Generals recounts the lives of a father and his son who always maintained their belief in the American dream. As the inheritor of their legacy, Melville retraces their steps, advocates for them to receive their long-overdue honors and unlocks the potential we all hold to retrieve powerful family stories lost to the past.