AUSLANDER

By Lewis Kelly

AUSLANDER is the story of the struggles and triumphs of a black man during World War II. The main
character is Army First Lietenant Vince LaSalle who is an over-achieving and honorable soldier. Although
the story is fiction, the social situations make for an excellent historical analysis of the struggles and
triumphs of black soldiers participating in a war on a Jim Crow basis. The author excellently explores the
complexities of race relations among soldiers in the armed forces during the war. The struggles of black
soldiers trying to maintain sanity, while having to deal with racism among other soldiers, superiors and
civilians is cleverly interwoven in the fabric of the story.

AUSLANDER begins with LaSalle and his fiancée Vierna Lillis spending their final day together in Harlem
before he is to go to Europe to join his troops in fighting the war. Almost immediately on the ship
traveling toward Europe, LaSalle encounters white soldiers who underestimate his intelligence and
integrity. This sets the scene for the same theme to be played throughout the book. Once in Europe,
LaSalle briefly joins his troop, only to be quickly recruited by a top-secret military group.

After proving himself more than capable of being part of the special operations team, he was not
allowed to join because he is black. After his departure from the group, they are taken captive by the
enemy and sent to Germany to be questioned and possibly executed. The trainer of the special agent
group realizes the only soldier potentially capable of rescuing the group was LaSalle and he recruits him
for a special mission to rescue the agents. While on his mission, he uses all his talents and military
expertise to try and rescue the agents, but encounters, racism, betrayal, deceit and deception.

Author Lewis Kelly adds depth to the story by following the Vierna's life. While LaSalle is away at war,
she faces her own set of obstacles. From almost being raped by a ghetto drunk, to struggling to focus on
her classes at college and dealing with her man being away at war, her story is another within
AUSLANDER. In the end, her love for LaSalle will take her across seas to try and save his life.

One of the most important features of AUSLANDER is Kelley's ability to get you to like LaSalle. This is
extremely beneficial for the author and reader, because the book is nearly 400 pages long. While
reading the book, you want LaSalle to succeed at his mission. This helps you to overlook some of the
almost impossible achievements LaSalle makes. I recommend this book for all readers. It is more than
just the story of a black soldier's heroism; it is a love story filled with action and adventure.

Reviewed by Granderson Glenn II