How to Read David Wright Faladé's Books
David Wright Faladé is an American author, professor, and historian known for his deeply researched, character-driven narratives that bring marginalized histories to the forefront. Because his books include a mix of standalone historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, and young adult literature, there is no single, strictly linear series to follow. Instead, his works are best grouped by their thematic connections and subject matter.
For the most rewarding reading experience, we recommend starting with his acclaimed Civil War novel, Black Cloud Rising, before deciding whether to explore the nonfiction origins of its protagonist or his other standalone novels.
The Richard Etheridge Books: Fiction vs. Nonfiction
The most important connection in Faladé’s bibliography is between his debut nonfiction book and his major historical novel. Both center on the real-life historical figure Richard Etheridge, a former slave who became a Union soldier and later the first African American keeper in the United States Life-Saving Service at Pea Island, North Carolina.
1. Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers (2001)
Co-authored with David Zoby and originally published under the name David Wright, this narrative nonfiction book details the incredible history of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station crew. Etheridge led an all-Black crew of surfmen through daring maritime rescues during a time of intense racial hostility. It is a meticulous piece of history that reads like an adventure novel.
2. Black Cloud Rising (2022)
Decades after researching Etheridge for his nonfiction debut, Faladé returned to the character in this historical novel. Rather than recounting his later lifesaving years, the novel focuses on Etheridge's experiences in 1863 as a soldier in the Union Army's "African Brigade" during the Civil War. Faladé chose the medium of fiction to explore Etheridge’s internal struggles as a mixed-race man—the son of a white master and an enslaved woman—fighting against his former neighbors and family members in the South.
Which to read first? If you prefer to learn the strict historical facts first, start with Fire on the Beach. If you prefer a gripping, psychologically complex character study, start with Black Cloud Rising.
Standalone Novels & Collaborations
Beyond the Richard Etheridge books, Faladé has written standalone novels that deal with themes of identity, race, and international migration.
Away Running (2016)
Co-authored with Luc Bouchard and published under the name David Wright, this young adult novel draws directly on Faladé's own youth playing American football in Europe. It follows two American teenagers who join a local football team in Villeneuve, a impoverished suburb of Paris, during the early 2000s. The story is a raw exploration of race, class, and social unrest in modern France.
The New Internationals (2025)
Published under his full name, this historical novel is set in post-World War II Paris in 1947. It follows Cecile Rosenbaum, a French-Jewish Holocaust survivor, and Sebastien Danxomè, an architecture student from Dahomey (now Benin), alongside a charismatic Black American GI. Grounded in Faladé's own parents' history and letters, the novel captures a moment of anti-colonial awakening and the complex search for identity in a recovering Europe.
David Wright Faladé Books in Publication Order
If you prefer to read his books in the order they were released, you can follow this timeline:
- Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers (2001) – Co-authored with David Zoby (Nonfiction)
- Away Running (2016) – Co-authored with Luc Bouchard (Young Adult Fiction)
- Black Cloud Rising (2022) – Historical Fiction
- The New Internationals (2025) – Historical Fiction
What to Know Before You Start
When searching for his earlier books like Fire on the Beach or Away Running, note that they were originally published under the name David Wright. He later embraced his biological father's surname, Faladé—who was a descendant of the last King of Dahomey—to honor his heritage, publishing his subsequent works as David Wright Faladé.
His stories are notable for their refusal to simplify history. Whether describing the brutal realities of the Civil War or the systemic exclusion of colonial subjects in post-war Paris, Faladé highlights the grey areas of human loyalty and survival, making his books ideal choices for book clubs and lovers of literary historical fiction.