Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
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- Create Date：2021-05-19 18:31:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rebecca Hall
- ISBN：1982115181
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Summary
Part graphic novel， part memoir， Wake is an imaginative tour-de-force that tells the story of women-led slave revolts and chronicles scholar Rebecca Hall’s efforts to uncover the truth about these women warriors who， until now， have been left out of the historical record。
Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the Middle Passage。 They fought their enslavers throughout the Americas。 And then they were erased from history。
Wake tells the story of Dr。 Rebecca Hall， a historian， granddaughter of slaves， and a woman haunted by the legacy of slavery。 The accepted history of slave revolts has always told her that enslaved women took a back seat。 But Rebecca decides to look deeper， and her journey takes her through old court records， slave ship captain’s logs， crumbling correspondence， and even the forensic evidence from the bones of enslaved women from the “negro burying ground” uncovered in Manhattan。 She finds women warriors everywhere。
Using in-depth archival research and a measured use of historical imagination， Rebecca constructs the likely pasts of Adono and Alele， women rebels who fought for freedom during the Middle Passage， as well as the stories of women who led slave revolts in Colonial New York。 We also follow Rebecca’s own story as the legacy of slavery shapes life， both during her time as a successful attorney and later as a historian seeking the past that haunts her。
Illustrated beautifully in black and white， Wake will take its place alongside classics of the graphic novel genre， like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Art Spiegelman’s Maus。 The story of both a personal and national legacy， it is a powerful reminder that while the past is gone， we still live in its wake。
Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the Middle Passage。 They fought their enslavers throughout the Americas。 And then they were erased from history。
Wake tells the story of Dr。 Rebecca Hall， a historian， granddaughter of slaves， and a woman haunted by the legacy of slavery。 The accepted history of slave revolts has always told her that enslaved women took a back seat。 But Rebecca decides to look deeper， and her journey takes her through old court records， slave ship captain’s logs， crumbling correspondence， and even the forensic evidence from the bones of enslaved women from the “negro burying ground” uncovered in Manhattan。 She finds women warriors everywhere。
Using in-depth archival research and a measured use of historical imagination， Rebecca constructs the likely pasts of Adono and Alele， women rebels who fought for freedom during the Middle Passage， as well as the stories of women who led slave revolts in Colonial New York。 We also follow Rebecca’s own story as the legacy of slavery shapes life， both during her time as a successful attorney and later as a historian seeking the past that haunts her。
Illustrated beautifully in black and white， Wake will take its place alongside classics of the graphic novel genre， like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Art Spiegelman’s Maus。 The story of both a personal and national legacy， it is a powerful reminder that while the past is gone， we still live in its wake。
Reviews
Rachel
，
This book does a fantastic job of illustrating just how poorly women’s history is taught and how slavery is taught。 I had absolutely no idea that women slaves led so many revolts and yet were wiped so completely from history。 I’m shocked every time history gets reframed from a woman’s perspective and also kind of ashamed about how shocked I always feel。Dr。 Hall educates us about the women-led slave revolts she uncovered during her studies as well as how difficult it was to study this subject。 De This book does a fantastic job of illustrating just how poorly women’s history is taught and how slavery is taught。 I had absolutely no idea that women slaves led so many revolts and yet were wiped so completely from history。 I’m shocked every time history gets reframed from a woman’s perspective and also kind of ashamed about how shocked I always feel。Dr。 Hall educates us about the women-led slave revolts she uncovered during her studies as well as how difficult it was to study this subject。 Definitely emotionally， but also logistically。 I got so mad reading the panel about the insurance company prohibiting her from completing research about slave ships。 It makes me so mad that corporations are withholding so much information because it’ll be bad for their bottomline and paint them in a bad light， never mind the fact that it’s history and so many voices are going unheard because of this gross viewpoint。 On top of this， the number of voices that were never recorded because they were deemed unimportant is astounding。 And the point Dr。 Hall made about slave runners consistently underestimating the women on the ships， thinking them incapable of anything but being raped？ All of this got my blood boiling。Mini-rant aside， this book was eye-opening。 I learned new things and I learned that I didn’t know/wasn’t taught a lot。 I really liked the medium of a graphic novel to get these points across。 The illustrations were great （though I wish I had seen them in color） and the combination of memoir/story did a good job of keeping me interested while also teaching me。 If I still worked at a high school library I would order a few copies of this immediately。 This history should definitely be taught more freely than it is right now， and it shouldn’t be as difficult to research as Dr。 Hall showed it was。 Readers of all ages and backgrounds would benefit from reading this！ 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
，
Wake uses archival records to piece together the untold story of female-led slave rebellions and revolts。However， it is also a memoir of the author’s difficulty in obtaining the information。 Despite having a Ph。D。 in history， she runs right into the wall labeled the victors write the history。 And these “victors” didn’t see female slaves as important enough to even record their court testimony before being burned at the stake。Unfortunately， the lack of records forces Dr。 Hall to use “historical i Wake uses archival records to piece together the untold story of female-led slave rebellions and revolts。However， it is also a memoir of the author’s difficulty in obtaining the information。 Despite having a Ph。D。 in history， she runs right into the wall labeled the victors write the history。 And these “victors” didn’t see female slaves as important enough to even record their court testimony before being burned at the stake。Unfortunately， the lack of records forces Dr。 Hall to use “historical imagination in order to reconstruct a story”。 While I am disappointed that this “history” was fictionalized， the two stories within Wake are excellent。 Who knew that 10% of slave ships had an insurrection？ Or that the one thing that separated the rebellious ships from the others was “the more women onboard a slave ship， the more likely a revolt would occur”。 The illustrations are pen and ink in a woodcut style， which is perfect to set the time period （1700s） in the reader’s mind。Wake is an important book with previously untold stories。 It should be in every library。 4 stars！Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Marie
，
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 "Wake" includes discussion or mentions of: slavery， misogynist violence （including rape）， racial slurs （mainly due to the historical documents found throughout Dr。 Hall's research）。 This book was one of the most interesting and informative books I've read so far this year。 The text is a graphic novel that， as its title implies， tells the story of Dr。 Rebecca Hall as she tries to tell the story of Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 "Wake" includes discussion or mentions of: slavery， misogynist violence （including rape）， racial slurs （mainly due to the historical documents found throughout Dr。 Hall's research）。 This book was one of the most interesting and informative books I've read so far this year。 The text is a graphic novel that， as its title implies， tells the story of Dr。 Rebecca Hall as she tries to tell the story of the women behind various women-led slave revolts。 It shows the different complications that arise in their research to uncover who these women were， especially given both racist and sexist issues。 Many of us have likely heard the saying about how "History is always written by the winners" and this text shows how oppressors still have a certain amount of control of the narrative given the desire of companies to hide their skeletons deep in the closet。 We see this with Dr。 Hall as she tries accessing archives from a certain company in her research。 We also see how sometimes the issues in researching topics like this is that no one cared enough to find out about even basic information， which in many causes can result in dead ends and nowhere else to look for information。 What I absolutely adored about Dr。 Hall's approach was their use of "historical imagination" in order to create a probable story for them based on what she was able to gather in her research。 These women were important and deserve to have their stories told， especially considering the attempt from others to leave their stories forgotten。 I consider this a must-read and would highly recommend this to anyone。 。。。more
Jaclyn Hillis
，
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts is part graphic novel， and part memoir， by Dr。 Rebecca Hall。 “Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye， but when you turn your head to focus， it’s gone？ Like invisible forces have shaped everything around you， but you’ve lost the words to describe them。 This is what it means to live in the wake of slavery。”This book follows Dr。 Rebecca Hall’s efforts to uncover the truth about women-led slave revolts。 Women warriors planned an Wake: The Hidden History of Women-led Slave Revolts is part graphic novel， and part memoir， by Dr。 Rebecca Hall。 “Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye， but when you turn your head to focus， it’s gone？ Like invisible forces have shaped everything around you， but you’ve lost the words to describe them。 This is what it means to live in the wake of slavery。”This book follows Dr。 Rebecca Hall’s efforts to uncover the truth about women-led slave revolts。 Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the Middle Passage。 They fought their enslavers throughout the Americas。 And then they were erased from history。Using in-depth archival research and a measured use of historical imagination， Rebecca constructs the likely pasts of Adono and Alele， women rebels who fought for freedom during the Middle Passage， as well as the stories of women who led slave revolts in Colonial New York。 We also follow Rebecca’s own story as the legacy of slavery shapes her own life。I really appreciated the part where she highlighted how the British， particularly Lloyd’s of London， wanted to ignore their part in colonialism and the slave trade。 This was shown by them denying her access to their archives。This book is so so important， and I’m so glad it exists。 Slavery is taught in schools， but more of a white-washed version。 They don’t want to show you the captain logs， the death tolls， the “storage” plans for the ships… Slavery was treating human beings like a business transaction。 These stories are painful but this needs to be taught and not forgotten。 I learned so much reading this， and it was easier to read being in graphic novel format。 。。。more
Panos
，
This book is half memoir and half history and I really loved it。It is a really powerful graphic novel and it left me speechless。 The author is also the protagonist and we follow her examination of numerous historical events that have been persistently eradicated and overlooked。 The only thing that I did not like was the art style， it wasn't bad to say but it wasn't pleasing to the eye。 This book is half memoir and half history and I really loved it。It is a really powerful graphic novel and it left me speechless。 The author is also the protagonist and we follow her examination of numerous historical events that have been persistently eradicated and overlooked。 The only thing that I did not like was the art style， it wasn't bad to say but it wasn't pleasing to the eye。 。。。more
Amber Brooks Bowie
，
It was not until one year ago， when I read "Black Women's History of the United States，" did I realize that women， especially Black women， are often left out of historic records。 "Wake" made me realize that this is not only an American History problem， but this is a global history problem。 As a Black woman， it was CRITICAL （yes， critical） for me to read this book。 I wasn't completely sure what to expect， but the outline and order of this graphic novel kept me engaged from beginning to end。 I lit It was not until one year ago， when I read "Black Women's History of the United States，" did I realize that women， especially Black women， are often left out of historic records。 "Wake" made me realize that this is not only an American History problem， but this is a global history problem。 As a Black woman， it was CRITICAL （yes， critical） for me to read this book。 I wasn't completely sure what to expect， but the outline and order of this graphic novel kept me engaged from beginning to end。 I literally read this is one setting （before school）。As an educator， I never want to find myself continuing to suppress the voices that the curriculum and history has already done。 I read books like "Wake" to educate myself （and become inspired by someone else's research） and seek more information about those voices who have been silenced。 I've always felt a calling that my voice would be used to impact others。 While I'm here， my goal is to continue coming across books like "Wake，" putting them in the hands of students， inspiring them to continue the research， and make a plan to travel to these places that holds the history and answers that I'm looking for。Furthermore， I loved the flashbacks to the past as the research in the present unfolds。 It's also not surprising that companies， officers， security， etc。 would want to prevent this research and documents from being discovered。 Nevertheless， we persist， we learn， and we educate。 ***Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced eArc in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Ms。 Woc Reader
，
Dr。 Rebecca Hall is a self-described Black lesbian scholar activist。 Wake is her journey while earning her PHD where she sought to discover more about the forgotten women during slavery who played a key part in revolts。 Despite historians believing that Black women were no threat she understands that Black women have always been resilient force to be reckoned with。 Scouring old court records， newspaper articles， slave ship logs， insurance policies and other correspondence she sets out to uncover Dr。 Rebecca Hall is a self-described Black lesbian scholar activist。 Wake is her journey while earning her PHD where she sought to discover more about the forgotten women during slavery who played a key part in revolts。 Despite historians believing that Black women were no threat she understands that Black women have always been resilient force to be reckoned with。 Scouring old court records， newspaper articles， slave ship logs， insurance policies and other correspondence she sets out to uncover the stories of these women。I particularly enjoyed the chapter about her trip to England。 As she notes The British always try to ignore away their colonial past even though the products of colonialism are still evident everywhere。 As a Black person from the US she is treated better than her Black British counterparts。 However when she approaches Lloyd's of London she is met with resistant when attempting to access their records as the company tries to hide their ties as an insurer during slavery。 The same Lloyd's of London that finally decided after last summer's protests to now seek out an archivist to examine it's artefacts for links to the slave trade。 The lack of written history where these women are referred to as woman #1 or #2 often means piecing together what we know about their origins and making our own inferences。 Although the past is painful it's important to keep these stories alive and give these people the respect and reverence they deserve but were never afforded。 This graphic novel format makes it easier to consume this history in a way just seeing the written words on the page alone would not。 The art style is as raw as the history it explores and engaging throughout。 I received an arc from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review。Originally posted athttps://womenofcolorreadtoo。blogspot。。。。 。。。more
Kori ☾
，
Amazing job。 This graphic novel mixes memoir with real historical events。 This took me a few days to read due to the subject matter。 Slavery is heavily whitewashed and pretty soon it won't be taught。 I am so glad I came across this and decided to read this。 I hope Rebecca Hall publishes more books， I am already a fan！I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Amazing job。 This graphic novel mixes memoir with real historical events。 This took me a few days to read due to the subject matter。 Slavery is heavily whitewashed and pretty soon it won't be taught。 I am so glad I came across this and decided to read this。 I hope Rebecca Hall publishes more books， I am already a fan！I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma
，
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts follows Dr。 Rebecca Hall as she tries to learn more about women-led slave revolts。 The narrative focuses both on the stories Hall uncovers and Hall's journey itself， including the heavy emotional toll that this research takes。 Hall does a fantastic job explaining how the historical record can perpetrate acts of violence by obscuring the efforts of enslaved people to fight for their freedom， particularly when those people are women。 I learned a Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts follows Dr。 Rebecca Hall as she tries to learn more about women-led slave revolts。 The narrative focuses both on the stories Hall uncovers and Hall's journey itself， including the heavy emotional toll that this research takes。 Hall does a fantastic job explaining how the historical record can perpetrate acts of violence by obscuring the efforts of enslaved people to fight for their freedom， particularly when those people are women。 I learned a lot about specific revolts， how the historical record hides women's actions， and more about the mechanics of slavery。 Hugo Martínez' art does a fantastic job of driving home that this history is all around us and continues to shape life today， even if people try to ignore it。 The art could be both surreal and harrowing。 I did find it hard to make out what was happening in some panels， which could be due to the fact that I read an advanced copy。 This didn't happen often， though。Wake was an emotional and informative read about parts of history that can often be overlooked。 The illustrations added another layer of nuance to the story to make for a reading experience that left me with a lot to think about。Thank you to Simon Schuster and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。C/W:（view spoiler）[racial violence， murder， rape， racism （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Amanda
，
If someone wants to know what writing a dissertation is like， this gives an idea。 The material is important， but also the discussion of the trauma of history and the historians who uncover it。 Although the historian in me cringed at a few parts （the interactions at archives in general and fragile archival material shattering！）， I think this would be especially impactful when talking about what historians actually do while also talking about the material。 My gears are already turning on crafting If someone wants to know what writing a dissertation is like， this gives an idea。 The material is important， but also the discussion of the trauma of history and the historians who uncover it。 Although the historian in me cringed at a few parts （the interactions at archives in general and fragile archival material shattering！）， I think this would be especially impactful when talking about what historians actually do while also talking about the material。 My gears are already turning on crafting an assignment。 There was much less of women led slave revolts than I expected， but I'm sure that's Dr。 Hall's monograph。 I would have liked more of them， or an accompanying volume of them。 That gets at the biggest thing here - it is too short for all of the things it tries to do。 Each of those things is important and raises key issues， so it does make a great beginning of a story and conversation， but does little to resolve it。Thank you to Rebecca Hall， Hugo Martinez， Simon & Schuster， and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Michelle
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Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy of this book。This was kind of hard to read; the author put so much emotion into it that it didn't go down easily。 But I don't think it was meant to at all; it SHOULD make us sorrowful。 There was so much here I did not know， and it is the kind of stuff that we OUGHT to know， that we really can't move forward unless we try to understand。 I liked the graphic format and illustrations， they seemed to fit the subject matter well。 Very well done。 Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy of this book。This was kind of hard to read; the author put so much emotion into it that it didn't go down easily。 But I don't think it was meant to at all; it SHOULD make us sorrowful。 There was so much here I did not know， and it is the kind of stuff that we OUGHT to know， that we really can't move forward unless we try to understand。 I liked the graphic format and illustrations， they seemed to fit the subject matter well。 Very well done。 。。。more
Melanie
，
4。75 StarsContent Warnings at end of review。Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an arc of this book。Wake is a graphic novel that is a combination of nonfiction about a historian's research into Women Led Slave Revolts and heavily researched historical recreations of events。 So much of the history Hall was researching was unavailable to the point she had to extrapolate from the research she had to get imaginings of some of the events she wanted to portray。This story was very hard to r 4。75 StarsContent Warnings at end of review。Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an arc of this book。Wake is a graphic novel that is a combination of nonfiction about a historian's research into Women Led Slave Revolts and heavily researched historical recreations of events。 So much of the history Hall was researching was unavailable to the point she had to extrapolate from the research she had to get imaginings of some of the events she wanted to portray。This story was very hard to read because of the content， but extremely informative and well-written。 The illustrations were beautifully and poignantly done and I loved that it was a mix of Hall's research as well as recreations of what she was researching。 The overlap of her subject matter and what she herself was doing was very meaningful。This book gave me a lot to think about and I definitely think it did the job that Hall set out to do。Pub Date: June 1， 2021Content WarningsGraphic: Racism， Slavery， Death， Murder， Confinement， and Torture 。。。more
Virginia
，
This is part memoir of a historian and part history she uncovers。 To some degree， it's narrative history， as there were limits on the information available， so the stories are filled in。Presented as a graphic novel， it's quite brilliantly laid out to have the slave history reflected in the current day pages。 However， it was sometimes hard to make out what was being depicted。 It may have been the use of black and white only （no color） or the digital format。 The author's emotional turmoil is also This is part memoir of a historian and part history she uncovers。 To some degree， it's narrative history， as there were limits on the information available， so the stories are filled in。Presented as a graphic novel， it's quite brilliantly laid out to have the slave history reflected in the current day pages。 However， it was sometimes hard to make out what was being depicted。 It may have been the use of black and white only （no color） or the digital format。 The author's emotional turmoil is also depicted many times， which feels repetitive and somewhat unnecessary （as the reader is likely feeling something similar。） Despite that， I think this is an important piece of the larger historical puzzle。3。5 stars rounded up。 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy。 Publish date June 1， 2021。 。。。more
Shani
，
A dive into the erasure of black female slaves and an author's quest for answers through history。Equal parts memoir， history， and speculation come together to contribute to the question of black women's roles in slave revolts。 The story follows Rebecca as she researches the archives of many places to piece together the story of female slaves who led revolts but whose narratives were erased。Readers will enjoy the balance of Dr。 Rebeccas Hall's own story of researching the topic and her family his A dive into the erasure of black female slaves and an author's quest for answers through history。Equal parts memoir， history， and speculation come together to contribute to the question of black women's roles in slave revolts。 The story follows Rebecca as she researches the archives of many places to piece together the story of female slaves who led revolts but whose narratives were erased。Readers will enjoy the balance of Dr。 Rebeccas Hall's own story of researching the topic and her family history。 They will face the uncomfortable truth digging into this history reveals and the questions that continue to be unanswered。 There are copies of historical documents included in many of the stories and clarification where speculations are made。 The flow of the story is continuous with the illustrations carrying the narrative throughout the book。 The only issue I had while reading is at times the text appeared shaky like a person's handwriting， which in some ways is reflective of the emotions the author may have experienced while writing the scene。 （So that may be intentional）The illustrations perfectly capture the emotions， action， and symbolism in each panel。 There is as much to analyze in each illustration as there is to process in the reading。 The black and white coloring balances the somberness of the story very well。 There is a good balance of text to illustration in the book， often allowing the illustrations to carry the message that words cannot。 The transition between timeframes is well captured in the images and clearly labeled in the text。 This is a good read on a challenging topic。 Readers will appreciate the breaks in the text to gather the emotions of the character in the narrative described。 。。。more
Haley
，
Thank you Simon & Schuster， NetGalley and Rebecca Hall for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel before publishing。 All the opinions in this review are my own。I feel so truly honored to have been able to read Wake early， because this was truly a masterpiece。 Rebecca Hall went through so， so much in order to bring us this story， and I will never be able to understand the emotional toll this must have taken。 I can only thank her for this。 Wake tells the stories of various slave r Thank you Simon & Schuster， NetGalley and Rebecca Hall for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel before publishing。 All the opinions in this review are my own。I feel so truly honored to have been able to read Wake early， because this was truly a masterpiece。 Rebecca Hall went through so， so much in order to bring us this story， and I will never be able to understand the emotional toll this must have taken。 I can only thank her for this。 Wake tells the stories of various slave revolts led by women who were truly erased from the narrative。 She examines the roles of sexism and racism in this erasure， and travels all over the US and even to the EU in order to research and explore this。 I found myself so moved throughout this story。 Rebecca Hall captures her own emotional journey in such a poignant way。 The illustration is beautiful and impactful in telling a story on its own， and creatively gives us mirror images of today as post-slavery and the images from years past during slavery in America and the slave trade。 I highly recommend that others read this story， and I think it does truly stand up to Persepolis’s caliber of magnificent。 。。。more
Dame Samara
，
This book was incredibly emotional to read， the weaving of Rebecca Hall's story with those she was researching was incredibly impactful。 The art is from Hugo Martinez only works to further iterate that with the melding of present New York with that of New York's past。 making it feel even more intertwined。Reading this was a look at stories that do go untold， but also is a scathing reminder about the amount of historical knowledge that goes unknown either by the fact we aren't looking for it or it This book was incredibly emotional to read， the weaving of Rebecca Hall's story with those she was researching was incredibly impactful。 The art is from Hugo Martinez only works to further iterate that with the melding of present New York with that of New York's past。 making it feel even more intertwined。Reading this was a look at stories that do go untold， but also is a scathing reminder about the amount of historical knowledge that goes unknown either by the fact we aren't looking for it or it is held in the hands of private companies that refuse to disclose it。 。。。more
Heather Jennings
，
If you ever wanted to know what a historical dissertation is like， read this book。 Wake: The Hidden History of Women Led Slave Revolts recounts Rebecca Hall’s dissertation research and process in graphical format。 Her findings are fascinating。 We may think we learned in school about the Middle Passage and triangular trade and even the lingering legacy of slavery still bound and codified into our current society， but Hall adds the layer of gender stereotypes hiding more examples of Black women at If you ever wanted to know what a historical dissertation is like， read this book。 Wake: The Hidden History of Women Led Slave Revolts recounts Rebecca Hall’s dissertation research and process in graphical format。 Her findings are fascinating。 We may think we learned in school about the Middle Passage and triangular trade and even the lingering legacy of slavery still bound and codified into our current society， but Hall adds the layer of gender stereotypes hiding more examples of Black women attempting to change the system。 I personally love seeing the history we thought we knew expanded to include the contributions and efforts of all involved， not just those we traditionally accepted as the keepers of history。 She even suggests that some of the results may have even connected to the known tribes of women warriors。 Hall also illustrates the role of others such as insurance companies profited from and continue to benefit from the legacy of slavery。My only qualm with this book is the artwork done by Hugo Martínez。 The drawings look to be pen and ink， and they do not detract with the words at all。 The way he depicts Hall is lovely。 It is the drawings of the initial women on the boat with which I take issue。 In some panes， they appear depicted as animalistic。 In others， the over exaggerated and fetishized features that became unfortunate comic book tropes。 It is possible to depict strength （clearly done in the drawing of faces） without resorting to the Barbie-like depictions of the female form。 I am part of an equity and social justice book group， and I still would recommend this title to my clubmates despite my one issue with the artwork。 Think of this as an adult version of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales style of explaining history in graphic format。 Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review。 。。。more
Debbie
，
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts presents the fascinating yet woefully understudied history of women-led slave revolts。 This exploration is done in a unique fashion， by pairing the history itself with a memoir of the author’s quest to uncover the details of such revolts， which were frequently left out of the history books。This graphic novel does a great job presenting this history in a detailed yet easy to understand manner， making for a very compelling and engaging read。 In j Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts presents the fascinating yet woefully understudied history of women-led slave revolts。 This exploration is done in a unique fashion， by pairing the history itself with a memoir of the author’s quest to uncover the details of such revolts， which were frequently left out of the history books。This graphic novel does a great job presenting this history in a detailed yet easy to understand manner， making for a very compelling and engaging read。 In just over 200 illustrated pages， I learned a great deal about these slave revolts and their suppression from the history books， in a way that is memorable and will stick with me。 I could see this going over well in a junior high or high school history class （though it’s just as targeted towards adult readers as well）。The illustrations were powerful and intricate， and I especially enjoyed the intermixing between past and present within the pages that explored the author’s research process。 The use of reflections in water or on windows to show the historical events that Hall was discussing as she walked through modern-day cities was extremely clever and well-done， keeping the reader engaged with the artwork by requiring close examination to ensure you saw all the details。My one complaint about the illustrations was that sometimes the figures didn’t look anatomically correct， but I think that was a purposeful stylistic choice that just didn’t quite connect with me。 I do also think using color illustrations—even the limited color palette used on the cover—would have been very impactful， but even with just black and white illustrations the artwork was very engaging because of the unique drawing style， level of detail， and dramatic shading techniques。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel。 For its format it packs a lot of information but in a way that feels right。 Not too rushed not too condensed。 I learned so new information that I can’t wait to regurgitate to my friends。 I wish the stories about the slave revolts were longer however I understand that’s not feasible because of the hurdles the Hall faced trying to dig for archives :（。 My only critique is the font。 I think the font is too small or it’s too “squiggly”。 I think it were a times I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel。 For its format it packs a lot of information but in a way that feels right。 Not too rushed not too condensed。 I learned so new information that I can’t wait to regurgitate to my friends。 I wish the stories about the slave revolts were longer however I understand that’s not feasible because of the hurdles the Hall faced trying to dig for archives :（。 My only critique is the font。 I think the font is too small or it’s too “squiggly”。 I think it were a times new Roman type font it’d be easier to read。 。。。more
Ramie
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This is my favorite book so far this year。 It’s not an easy read。 There’s slavery， racism， sexism。 While the violence isn’t depicted too graphically， it is there as you cannot tell this story without it。 It should be noted there are mentions of rape， again because this story cannot be told without it。Rebecca Hall has covered a piece of our history that most of us weren’t taught。 Slavery， was a best， briefly mentioned when I was in school。 This book reminds us that was intentional。 The few puzzle This is my favorite book so far this year。 It’s not an easy read。 There’s slavery， racism， sexism。 While the violence isn’t depicted too graphically， it is there as you cannot tell this story without it。 It should be noted there are mentions of rape， again because this story cannot be told without it。Rebecca Hall has covered a piece of our history that most of us weren’t taught。 Slavery， was a best， briefly mentioned when I was in school。 This book reminds us that was intentional。 The few puzzle pieces found， didn’t allow the entire story to be told。 How do you tell the stories of humans who were stripped of their identities when they were forced into slaves？ Names are often nowhere to be found。 And the few names that do exist in the records was still not enough to truly identify them。 They were humans who were effectively erased from the history books。 I am glad that someone is still trying to honor the victims of these crimes against humanity。Anyone who still doesn’t understand just how harmful this time period was and how it still deeply affects individuals and society as a whole today， should probably read this。The subject matter is a bit too much for young children， but this would be a great way to help teach teens about slavery and women’s role in fighting back against it。Also the artwork by Hugo Martínez is just stunning。 。。。more
Andréa
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Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。
Susie Dumond
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Rebecca Hall is a historian， lawyer， and granddaughter of slaves。 When she set out to research the history of women's involvement in slave revolts， she knew it would be an emotionally challenging project， but it was also a logistical challenge。 How does one understand the lives of people who were so systematically disenfranchised that their names weren't even recorded？ This graphic history book follows Hall's research journey while also reimagining the lives of women who died fighting slavery。Th Rebecca Hall is a historian， lawyer， and granddaughter of slaves。 When she set out to research the history of women's involvement in slave revolts， she knew it would be an emotionally challenging project， but it was also a logistical challenge。 How does one understand the lives of people who were so systematically disenfranchised that their names weren't even recorded？ This graphic history book follows Hall's research journey while also reimagining the lives of women who died fighting slavery。This is the best graphic history book I've ever read。 Hands down。 It's truly a phenomenal piece of research， art， and memoir， all woven together perfectly。 Hugo Martinez brought Rebecca Hall's story and research to life with vivid， emotional comics that show how the history of slavery in the U。S。 is both ignored and still reflected in our society today。 I'm blown away by how well Hall and Martinez honor the lives erased in history， and I already can't wait to read this book again。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Easton Smith
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There are few books that can accomplish the formidable task of uncovering real history through imagination and personal story。 Butler's Kindred and Morrison's Beloved are obvious comparisons in this regard。 But Hall's incredible book can't really be compared to anything。 From the gorgeous and haunting illustrations to the heart-wrenching uses of afro-futurist imagination， this book is its own journey unlike any other。 I was left with tears in my eyes and some important historical knowledge in my There are few books that can accomplish the formidable task of uncovering real history through imagination and personal story。 Butler's Kindred and Morrison's Beloved are obvious comparisons in this regard。 But Hall's incredible book can't really be compared to anything。 From the gorgeous and haunting illustrations to the heart-wrenching uses of afro-futurist imagination， this book is its own journey unlike any other。 I was left with tears in my eyes and some important historical knowledge in my brain。 I wish I'd read this in high school。 I wish everyone had read it in high school。 Honestly， I've never really gone in for graphic novels， but this is the perfect format for this story。 The visceral illustrations and clever orchestration made the history come through clearly and powerfully。 I could feel the stories washing over me as I read and I couldn't help but feel grief， anger， and inspiration。 We are all living in the wake of slavery， and this novel can help us understand what that means and how we can move forward。 。。。more
Roslyn K
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Part history， part memoir， Wake explores the often-neglected role of women in slave rebellions in the US。 Hall traces her own search for these women in the sparse material available that directly or indirectly mentions them as well as how she imagines their stories to come together。 This is an extremely powerful volume that grapples with the erasure of blackness and more particularly the erasure of black womanhood and the agency that these women were able to wrestle away despite their circumstan Part history， part memoir， Wake explores the often-neglected role of women in slave rebellions in the US。 Hall traces her own search for these women in the sparse material available that directly or indirectly mentions them as well as how she imagines their stories to come together。 This is an extremely powerful volume that grapples with the erasure of blackness and more particularly the erasure of black womanhood and the agency that these women were able to wrestle away despite their circumstances。 Easily the most affecting part of this graphic novel was the use of images within images to illustrate how Hall's search for black women in the archives is still reflected in the reality of black women's experiences today。 Hall may be walking down a modern city street， but the ghosts of white slave owners and black revolutionaries still make themselves known。 It was beautiful， heartbreaking， and empowering。 I'm very interested to explore Hall's other work， even if it's more on the scholarly side， because I think she has a lot to uncover for us。 。。。more
Alexander Peterhans
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Dr。 Rebecca Hall， an African-American historian， has done a lot of intensive research into the underreported or completely forgotten aspects of slavery。 In this book we follow part of her research， as she uncovers the role of slave women in revolts against their slavers - something that has been underestimated until now。She dives into archives in the US and UK， and faces quite some resistance - to put it bluntly， white people do not like being confronted with their past as slavers。 The book vivi Dr。 Rebecca Hall， an African-American historian， has done a lot of intensive research into the underreported or completely forgotten aspects of slavery。 In this book we follow part of her research， as she uncovers the role of slave women in revolts against their slavers - something that has been underestimated until now。She dives into archives in the US and UK， and faces quite some resistance - to put it bluntly， white people do not like being confronted with their past as slavers。 The book vividly depicts what Dr。 Hall finds， while she permits herself some speculation and invention on part of the subjects she's working around。The stories of the enslaved women are of course remarkable， and show how the slavers greatly underestimated their collective power。 It is fantastic to see these stories get the attention they deserve， and I think publishing them in the form of a graphic novel is an excellent way to make them available to a much larger audience。It's interesting that the slavers get near to no attention， even tend to be omitted from illustrations， which only feels right， and was a deft choice。At set points in the story， we get moments where Dr。 Hall is overcome by what she finds， and she bursts out crying。 I'm in two minds about this - I don't doubt she was and is severely affected by her findings， but it did start to give me the impression that the book was pressuring me into what to feel， and at what moment。I feel the art isn't always as strong as an important subject like this deserves。 It does do a neat thing where we see Dr。 Hall moving around our present world， while simultaneously showing the enslaved people in reflections （think car windows， rain puddles， store windows）， making a palpable connection between then and now。 It's quite elegant。It's an important book， but not without faults。3。5 stars（Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss） 。。。more
Pavlína Černá
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Some 36，000 slave ships had crossed the Atlantic Ocean in over four hundred years， with a revolt happening on 1 in 10 of these voyages。 What did the ones fighting back have in common？ "The more women on board a slave ship， the more likely a revolt would occur，" Rebecca Hall writes。In her partial memoir mixed with reconstructed events based on her scholarly knowledge， Hall takes readers along on an illustrated journey of a historian trying to discover the truth behind women-led slave revolts。 Exi Some 36，000 slave ships had crossed the Atlantic Ocean in over four hundred years， with a revolt happening on 1 in 10 of these voyages。 What did the ones fighting back have in common？ "The more women on board a slave ship， the more likely a revolt would occur，" Rebecca Hall writes。In her partial memoir mixed with reconstructed events based on her scholarly knowledge， Hall takes readers along on an illustrated journey of a historian trying to discover the truth behind women-led slave revolts。 Existing evidence omits the role women had in fighting back during slavery， and some companies are not eager to change that。 Blended with her grandmother's story， Hall shares how she found women warriors everywhere on her quest to discover the truth。While the book may not have all the answers （and actually thanks to that）， Wake delivers an important lesson about why it is so difficult for historians to trace historical events， especially the ones involving slaves， especially the ones involving women。Oftentimes with only a few words to a page， Hugo Martínez's illustrations speak volumes。 Maybe the choice of font was not the luckiest， but if anything， it makes you slow down and read more carefully。 There is power in the black-and-white finish。 At first glance， it is sometimes difficult to divide between the present and the past where both collide in a single graphic， but it emphasizes the truth that we are still not completely free of the past （whether that was intentional or not）。The idea to devise Wake as a graphic novel is phenomenal。 Reducing word count turns every sentence central， with no unnecessary descriptions and storylines。 It makes both history and the historian's story easily digestible and vivid， engaging readers who may not otherwise reach for a historical book or a scholarly article while also attracting those who may not be graphic-novel fans otherwise （like me）。In a very easily digestible format， Hall shows us how much we still don't know while she showed up to change that。 ARC | NetGalley | Simon & Schuster 。。。more
Rebecca
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Rebecca Hall insightfully illustrates and illuminates the challenges of writing the history of the unseen and unacknowledged。 She does it beautifully and painfully through her dissertation research internalizing lost voices and historical erasures。 Powerful and so relevant。
Alex
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This is a difficult book to read， but very worth it。 It sheds light on an aspect of history that is often washed over or downright hidden in the American education system， while also showing both the microaggressions and trauma that come from being a Black slavery historian。 It is a powerful story and one that should be required reading。 I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of art style， but it works well for the seriousness of this book。I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 This is a difficult book to read， but very worth it。 It sheds light on an aspect of history that is often washed over or downright hidden in the American education system， while also showing both the microaggressions and trauma that come from being a Black slavery historian。 It is a powerful story and one that should be required reading。 I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of art style， but it works well for the seriousness of this book。I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
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