EBOUE

A stiff, rigorously disciplined biography of Felix Eboue, the Creole who became France's first black colonial governor (Guadeloupe) and is the only man of his race recognized as a Hero of France by virtue of his burial in the Pantheon. Unlike Frantz Fanon (with whom he is frequently contrasted), Eboue resisted the revolutionary impulse, relying instead on patience and stoicism to achieve his ends, and ultimately toward the last years of his life in the '40's he became a symbol of ""assimilation. . . proof that a black man could succeed in the French system."" More than that, his success inspired a generation of progressive American blacks, particularly those in the NAACP, in their continuing fight against racial discrimination and insult. No other full-length assessment of Eboue is currently available in English, which automatically gives Weinstein's study importance. Doubtless the audience will be limited to black history specialists -- and many of them will come to scoff (Fanon's bitterness is more attractive these days); but for those seeking a balanced biographical treatment of Eboue, this has interest.