October 1, 2021
Hello ,
The new thing in books is the graphic novel.
The strange thing is that some of the best are not fiction, and so technically not novels at all.
Wake to the Power of Graphic Novels
Wake presents a unique mixture of elements. The graphic novel is true, in that it is based on meticulous historical research. The story of women-led slave uprisings is interwoven with the author's current day experience, and both stories are illustrated black and white drawings in the style of a comic book.
The book begins with a slave revolt in early 18th century British America. Readers will be most familiar with slavery on southern plantations, but this one
occurred in New York City.
Rebecca Hall said she wanted to highlight urban slavery in the north and provoke thought about how the institution of black enslavement was formative in the creation of the New York City, which became the financial capitol of the US, if not the world.
Researchers studying the Atlantic slave trade had compiled information on 35-thousand slave ship voyages. Over decades of study they discovered that
slaves
revolted on one in ten ships. These revolts were in essence suicide missions, because they all failed.
Rebecca Hall, became the first researcher to look at all this data and correlate the evidence that showed the higher the number of women on a slave ship, the greater the odds of an uprising.
The information is all there, in precisely kept records of each voyage because the slave trade was a highly regulated business. Stockholders wanted to verify their profits and losses. Insurance companies like Lloyds of London needed proof to process claims.
Yet, all of this information about uprisings on the ships was kept from the public to further the sham that enslaved Africans were content with their lot.
Looking at captain's logs of ships that reported slave revolts, the author uncovered specific details of rebellions led by women.
I found it painful to read this book. Stories of slavery are revolting. But I'm glad I read it because it helped me imagine the lives of real women, brave, strong women, by the names of Lily, Sarah, Abigail, Woman No. 4, Woman No. 10. And of course the many unnamed enslaved women who resisted, planned, worked together and fought, to the death, for their freedom and human dignity.
Another thing I loved, is how the author connects history to personal experience.
Rebecca's journey, a fight, really, to uncover the records of these women who led and participated in slave revolts, runs through the book along with the women's stories she finds.
Before the book ends, the author offers black women a path toward healing generational trauma.
I'm hoping we as a nation can take steps toward healing, too, which can only happen when we acknowledge our history of slavery, the truth of its causes and consequences, and commit to racial justice.
This book is a compelling read that toots the horn I am forever blowing. We can't understand ourselves until we know the truth of our past and how it brought us here today. That gives us the tools to build a better future.
It was like reading a biblical exegesis of a battle that revealed Custer's plan to defeat an enemy 10 times his size because he had done it at an earlier battle: distract the warriors with a feint that will draw them away from the village, then go into the village
and capture women and children.
Thanks, Robert!
I notice the audio book is narrated by George Guidall, one of the foremost voices in the audiobook industry. The Audio Publishers Association awarded Guidall a life-time achievement award for his record of voicing more than 1,300 unabridged books.
So, great narration, and he'll leave the light on for you.
After taking a year off from aerial silks due to Covid, I had lost all my strength. I could not climb to the top of the silk. I could not lift my bum over my head.
The circus gym re-opened and after months of hard work, I am back!
Photo thanks to @FineArtPhotographybybarb.
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