A stunning, imaginative work of history that transforms our understanding of slavery and resistance
Rebecca Hall (Author)
Rebecca Hall is a lawyer, historian and activist. She has taught
history at UC Berkeley, and was a visiting professor of law at the
University of Utah. Her writing focuses on the history of race, on
gender and law, and on feminist theory.
Hugo Martinez (Illustrator)
Hugo Martinez is a comic book illustrator and artist from
California.
A must-read graphic history. . . an inspired and inspiring defence
of heroic women whose struggles could be fuel for a more just
future
*Guardian*
Stunning. . . With its remarkable blend of passion and fact, action
and reflection, Wake sets a new standard for illustrating
history
*NPR*
Powerful.... Wake is operating in the wake of slavery, and in a
state of being awake to the past, a process Hall frames as both
devastating and grounding
*New York Times Book Review*
Hall and Martinez deserve tremendous credit for their work in
making this research accessible. . . a superb accomplishment on
every level
*Popmatters*
Not only a riveting tale of Black women's leadership of slave
revolts but an equally dramatic story of the engaged scholarship
that enabled its discovery
*Angela Davis*
An urgent, brilliant work of historical excavation
*Kirkus*
Wake is a revelation. Rebecca Hall's sparse and perfectly chosen
prose intersects with Hugo Martinez's beautiful woodcut-styled
illustrations that uses the power of visual narratives that
hearkens back to graphic masters like Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel.
Hall's writing cleverly flows between the reality of her research
on black women-led slave revolts and speculative ideas that uncover
the spectrum of human experience and resilience
*John Jennings, Eisner Award-winning illustrator of Octavia
Butler's Kindred and Parable of the Sower graphic novels*
A lot of Black history is uncelebrated narratives, but even within
that history there are narratives that are especially overlooked;
these tend to be the stories of Black women. Rebecca Hall's
diligent research and intelligent storytelling has flipped that
script to celebrate the brave enslaved Black women who fought and
died for their freedom with dignity. Hugo Martinez's expressive art
brings these women to vivid life on the page
*Joel Christian Gill, author of Strange Fruit*
Hall and Martínez connect the past and the present in a moving and
exciting narrative that brings to light the history of slavery in
the United States. Showing how enslaved women resisted slavery,
even though their participation in rebellions remain largely absent
from written records, Wake will be a crucial tool to introduce
students to the problematic nature of slavery primary sources.
*Ana Lucia Araujo, Professor of History, Howard University*
In this beautiful and moving graphic novel, historian Rebecca Hall
unearths a history so often overlooked: the significant role Black
women played in leading slave revolts. Through Hugo Martinez's
vivid graphics, combined with Hall's brilliant insights and
powerful storytelling, Wake transports the reader to a moment in
time when a group of Black women set out to overturn the
institution of slavery in British North America. Their courageous
story, told with remarkable skill and elegance, offers hope and
inspiration for us all.
*Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire*
In Wake, Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez use the graphic medium to
stunning effect. More than just a history, Wake is a meaningful
engagement with a living past. Read this book slowly. Savor the
visual metaphors. Let them take you back in time while Hall's
narration pins you to the uncomfortable present. Make your reading
a shared journey with friends or classmates who can help you
uncover the deep meanings and cope with the emotions it raises.
This book will haunt you the way that the legacies of slavery haunt
this country.
*Trevor Getz, author of Abina and the Important Men*
Rebecca Hall makes accessible the historians' craft in the service
of telling the powerful stories of women-led slave revolts. Mincing
no words, Hall captures the fierceness of Black women's resistance.
Infusing the text with her personal story and a sharp historical
imagination, Hall never waivers in giving life to this history. She
brings into the present stories that must be read and passed
on.
*Rose M. Brewer, Professor, University of Minnesota-Twin
Cities*
Wake's text is spare, informed, tuned to vibrating feeling and
thought about historical and contemporary Black women's agency and
actions in resistance and rebellion. As powerful as the text, are
the astonishing graphics. Reading, I was drawn into frame after
frame of graphic action and evocative description. These drawings
brought me to tears, recognition, fury, gratitude, solidarity.
*Donna Haraway, Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness
Department and Feminist Studies Department, UCSC*
Knowing differently is key to the movement as we newly reckon with
what has been memorialized in our past. We are lucky to be in
Rebecca Hall's wake as we look again toward the future, with fresh
eyes from visualizing a deeper relationship to the revolutionary
black feminist spirit that brought us here.
*Gina Dent, Associate Professor in Feminist Studies, UC Santa Cruz*
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