Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
- Downloads：4122
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-23 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rebecca Hall
- ISBN：1982115181
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
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
Claire
，
Historians might like this？ It didn't work for me， though。 In my opinion （and at the end of the day， that's all this is， one person's opinion）， this would've worked better as a history *or* as a memoir， rather than trying to be both。 I understand that the author was trying to show how the past influences the present， but the historical sections were often speculative （based on lack of data availability）， which felt jarring when compared with the present-day narrative of the author factually stat Historians might like this？ It didn't work for me， though。 In my opinion （and at the end of the day， that's all this is， one person's opinion）， this would've worked better as a history *or* as a memoir， rather than trying to be both。 I understand that the author was trying to show how the past influences the present， but the historical sections were often speculative （based on lack of data availability）， which felt jarring when compared with the present-day narrative of the author factually stating what she did or felt。 I guess writing a historical account of women-led slave revolts is mostly impossible because of silence in the archival records， but that's what I thought I'd be reading based on the book's title， and that's not what this book was。 。。。more
Deondra Smith
，
Definitely an informative read and spoke on things I wasn't taught in school which seems to be the case when I pick up a book like this one。 Definitely an informative read and spoke on things I wasn't taught in school which seems to be the case when I pick up a book like this one。 。。。more
Rin
，
This needs to be taught in schools。 So powerful
Erin
，
I suffered from a misalignment of expectations。 A better subheading might have been: The *Search for* the Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts。 Most of the story focused on Dr。 Hall’s research and the difficulties of finding accurate and complete records。 Two of the slave revolts that Dr。 Hall describes are products of her “historical imagination。” I found them interesting and moving， but the fact remains that they are imagined episodes。 One of the most intriguing facts that she does uneart I suffered from a misalignment of expectations。 A better subheading might have been: The *Search for* the Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts。 Most of the story focused on Dr。 Hall’s research and the difficulties of finding accurate and complete records。 Two of the slave revolts that Dr。 Hall describes are products of her “historical imagination。” I found them interesting and moving， but the fact remains that they are imagined episodes。 One of the most intriguing facts that she does unearth is that an onboard slave revolt was more likely if there were more women on board the slave ship。 She offers a number of possible explanations for this: women were frequently allowed to roam free on deck and had greater access to weapons; women were frequently underestimated; and women were not just subject to non-sexual physical brutality but were also sexually assaulted。 As a story about historical research， this was very successful。 As a story about women-led slave revolts， it was less enlightening， but intriguing all the same。 。。。more
Andrea
，
This was incredible。 My favorite aspect was Hall consistently breaking down pre-conceived notions about women’s involvement in slave revolts。 For example， she explained that on ships， enslaved women were frequently left unchained and on deck and thus able or organize a revolt among themselves。 This is drastically opposed to historians who wrote off the statistic that more women on ships led to more revolts as pure coincidence。 The art was fantastic as well， I found the moments when the past bled This was incredible。 My favorite aspect was Hall consistently breaking down pre-conceived notions about women’s involvement in slave revolts。 For example， she explained that on ships， enslaved women were frequently left unchained and on deck and thus able or organize a revolt among themselves。 This is drastically opposed to historians who wrote off the statistic that more women on ships led to more revolts as pure coincidence。 The art was fantastic as well， I found the moments when the past bled into the present to be particularly impactful。 。。。more
Tiffany
，
Part memoir， part research， part fiction- this graphic novel tells the stories of women-led slave revolts。We need more scholars like Rebecca Hall。
Jai
，
I always thought I was strong as my ancestors when in fact I’m not so sure。 This book is haunting and beautiful。 Rebecca Hall is a lawyer turned historian that pieces together archives from letters and captains logs。 Through all of these she finds evidence of slave revolts in New York and aboard slave ships。 Throughout the book she gives us how she felt during this time。 How she was met with obstacles but the power of her ancestors wouldn’t let her give up。 She also gives us a glimpse into her p I always thought I was strong as my ancestors when in fact I’m not so sure。 This book is haunting and beautiful。 Rebecca Hall is a lawyer turned historian that pieces together archives from letters and captains logs。 Through all of these she finds evidence of slave revolts in New York and aboard slave ships。 Throughout the book she gives us how she felt during this time。 How she was met with obstacles but the power of her ancestors wouldn’t let her give up。 She also gives us a glimpse into her past when she talks about her family and her grandmother that was a slave。 When I think about why revolts led by women were never discussed，it always points back to misogyny。 But misogyny also got men killed when women were thought to be too weak both physically and mentally to revolt or kill。 There were a few parts in the book that really sparked my interest:One of the slave women who’s planning the revolt gives another slave women herbs to take after she’s been raped。 These herbs were abortifacients。 This was a revolt as well。 She refused to bare her master’s baby。 She’d been raped。 African kingdoms fought and captured their enemies，not their “brothers and sisters”There was no concept of Africa back then， that is a 20th century concept。 Women were more likely to lead revolts on slave ships。 The women used their relative mobility and access to weapons to initiate revolt after revolt。 。。。more
BiblioBrandie
，
This is an incredible graphic novel by historian Rebecca Hall that looks at slavery in a way that I haven't seen before， especially her research on the Black women warriors she knows participated in slave revolts。 Part graphic novel， part memoir， Hall does extensive research into slavery because， as Hall says， "I am a historian。 And I am haunted。" This book is important and could be used for older teens。 This is an incredible graphic novel by historian Rebecca Hall that looks at slavery in a way that I haven't seen before， especially her research on the Black women warriors she knows participated in slave revolts。 Part graphic novel， part memoir， Hall does extensive research into slavery because， as Hall says， "I am a historian。 And I am haunted。" This book is important and could be used for older teens。 。。。more
A。J。 Seiffertt
，
Clear and sharp and painful and strong， powerful illustrations。
Susan
，
Every time someone says something along the lines of “history should be honored， not rewritten”， I’m gonna hand them a copy of WAKE。 The movement isn’t to “rewrite” history， but rather to tell ACTUAL history。 To teach what really happened， why it happened， and who it happened to， not this whitewashed version of history that excludes the names and stories of anyone who wasn’t a white man。Hall’s graphic novel is as much about trying to provide a voice to enslaved women who have been overlooked as Every time someone says something along the lines of “history should be honored， not rewritten”， I’m gonna hand them a copy of WAKE。 The movement isn’t to “rewrite” history， but rather to tell ACTUAL history。 To teach what really happened， why it happened， and who it happened to， not this whitewashed version of history that excludes the names and stories of anyone who wasn’t a white man。Hall’s graphic novel is as much about trying to provide a voice to enslaved women who have been overlooked as it is about how agonizingly painful （both mentally and emotionally） researching history can be。 To those insurance companies in London who won’t grant academic access to their records…。 SHAME ON YOU。 The corporate greed is strengthening the attempt to erase records of history that show how cruel capitalism and the white man has been for centuries。Hugo Martínez took Hall’s narrative and brought it to life through art。 I absolutely loved the mirroring of modern day with the past making a literal visual of the concept that the past is always with us in the present。This is such a powerful read and honestly， I feel like it is a must read for all。 。。。more
Basia
，
My only complaint， if we can call it that， about this slim book is that I wish it was longer！ This is one of those works where the book's form enacts its content in a literal sense， a concept I really appreciate when done as well as it is here。 Hugo Martinez's art possesses a density that many times compelled me to stop and contemplate what I was really looking at。 A soothing cup of tea with sugar in London， or the hard legacy of imperialism？ A run-of-the-mill hardware store in New York City， or My only complaint， if we can call it that， about this slim book is that I wish it was longer！ This is one of those works where the book's form enacts its content in a literal sense， a concept I really appreciate when done as well as it is here。 Hugo Martinez's art possesses a density that many times compelled me to stop and contemplate what I was really looking at。 A soothing cup of tea with sugar in London， or the hard legacy of imperialism？ A run-of-the-mill hardware store in New York City， or the scene of a deadly 1712 slave revolt？ The answer is both， evinced by Martinez's art， in which he embeds illustrations of the past directly into the present。 This contributes to a sense of underneath-ness that persists throughout Wake， as in I felt as if I was being offered a generous glimpse beneath not only the stories of enslavement that we typically learn， but also a glimpse underneath how these stories take emerge， if they do at all。 Unsurprisingly， the archives of enslavement and its revolts are studded with gaps， which complicate Rebecca Hall's endeavors to bring these stories to the page （another hindrance is the casual racism she encounters at libraries and clerk offices along the way）， but she widens the angle of the story and invites speculation。 She infuses what facts she finds with ruminations on what may have motivated enslaved women to lead these various revolts， embodying the outline of their lives with a fullness that is often tossed aside in favor of historical accuracy。 And underneath her own motivations for this kind of storytelling is an ancestral tether—a chorus of voices underneath her own， speaking survival across centuries。 。。。more
Chris Wolak
，
Review to come。
Carol
，
This is a great book！ I learned something new about jolly ole England。 The things people will have to answer for when standing before those pearly gates 。。。。
Erin Sterling
，
This graphic novel is SO GOOD， and so heartbreaking as it deals with the trauma legacy of slavery but also incredibly powerful and resilient as it changes the lens through which we've viewed slavery and women。 It also is about the nature of history and the use of historical documents and research。 All this in a graphic novel with these detailed strong visuals。 This graphic novel is SO GOOD， and so heartbreaking as it deals with the trauma legacy of slavery but also incredibly powerful and resilient as it changes the lens through which we've viewed slavery and women。 It also is about the nature of history and the use of historical documents and research。 All this in a graphic novel with these detailed strong visuals。 。。。more
Sarah Perchikoff
，
This is worth it for the history alone and the memoir piece weaves the past and the present together really well。One of my favorite quotes: "The more women aboard a slave ship， the more likely a revolt。" The reason for this will blow your mind， especially if you haven't read about this history before。 This is worth it for the history alone and the memoir piece weaves the past and the present together really well。One of my favorite quotes: "The more women aboard a slave ship， the more likely a revolt。" The reason for this will blow your mind， especially if you haven't read about this history before。 。。。more
Skip
，
I thought this book was awful， and have no idea what readership Hall is trying to attract， especially choosing a graphic novel format。 Fooled by the misleading title， suggesting a book focused on unheralded female roles in slave revolts， Hall spends inordinate time describing the challenges of doing her research， getting source data and being separated from her daughter and wife。 The stories themselves suffered from a paucity of facts， with the main theme being that the majority of slave revolts I thought this book was awful， and have no idea what readership Hall is trying to attract， especially choosing a graphic novel format。 Fooled by the misleading title， suggesting a book focused on unheralded female roles in slave revolts， Hall spends inordinate time describing the challenges of doing her research， getting source data and being separated from her daughter and wife。 The stories themselves suffered from a paucity of facts， with the main theme being that the majority of slave revolts were led by women。 It was not clear why this was true， perhaps because they were often sexually abused （with more to lose） or they had more freedom to gather/plan or gain access to weapons or were just generally not expected to oppose oppression。 。。。more
Bruce Mannheim
，
As someone who is haunted by ghosts of an unspeakable past and who knows their way around colonial archives I was touched at many different levels。
Mills College Library
，
306。3 H1787 2021
Danielle
，
"History written by the victors always erases resistance。 And those of us who live in the wake/ruins learn that we were inferior and needed to be conquered and enslaved。 This is the afterlife of slavery that the victors need us to inhabit。 One in which we have always already lost and have accepted our fate as handed to us。 But we always resisted slavery。 Our constant resistance was central to bringing about slavery's end。"This graphic novel is part memoir part nonfiction stories of what author R "History written by the victors always erases resistance。 And those of us who live in the wake/ruins learn that we were inferior and needed to be conquered and enslaved。 This is the afterlife of slavery that the victors need us to inhabit。 One in which we have always already lost and have accepted our fate as handed to us。 But we always resisted slavery。 Our constant resistance was central to bringing about slavery's end。"This graphic novel is part memoir part nonfiction stories of what author Rebecca Hall believes happened during some of the earliest women-led slave revolts。 Of course， we will probably never know what happened because records about enslaved people are short， at best。 Hall shared many records where all we know about a person is they were numbered and they died at some point from their journey from Africa to the Americas。 This book was difficult to read， for this reason， but I do have to admit I was expecting more nonfiction stories about these revolts rather than these stories mixed in with Hall's memoirs of going about writing this book and doing this research。 I felt this damped the story and made it less effective， in my eyes。 Regardless， this was an interesting graphic novel to read and I appreciated all of the details in the illustrations。 It was really quite something。 TW: slavery， violence**Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lee Ellen
，
When I read the subtitle， I immediately thought “wow， I didn’t know there were any！ Please tell me more！”This book really contains two stories about two struggles: one is the fight against chattel slavery， the other is one 21st-century historian’s efforts to uncover the story of women in slave revolts。 The latter story has plenty of highs and lows since slave records are notoriously scanty and unreliable as subject's names frequently change or are omitted altogether， relegating humans to mere nu When I read the subtitle， I immediately thought “wow， I didn’t know there were any！ Please tell me more！”This book really contains two stories about two struggles: one is the fight against chattel slavery， the other is one 21st-century historian’s efforts to uncover the story of women in slave revolts。 The latter story has plenty of highs and lows since slave records are notoriously scanty and unreliable as subject's names frequently change or are omitted altogether， relegating humans to mere numbers on a register。 The author， Rebecca Hall， comes up against roadblocks to her research time and again， especially， surprisingly， in Britain， where they “。。。would like us to think that their only role in the trade was its abolition， but the slave trade was central to England’s economy， and regulated and managed at every level。” Nevertheless， Ms。 Hall found a wealth of information in the British archives。For example， one thing that she discovered in her research was that the more women were on a vessel， the more likely that ship was to have a revolt。 Why is this？ As it turns out， it was common to have women and children above decks on slave ships once the ship had sailed away from the coast， and the captives often used this freedom of movement to plan and attempt to overthrow their captors。 It was a repeated scenario， possibly on account of a fair amount of cognitive dissonance about the capabilities of women， and， despite the fact that “revolts on slave ships in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean were basically suicide missions…，” “many captives chose death over this exceptionally horrid new kind of slavery。” I don’t often read graphic literature， but I love the decision to make this into a graphic novel， for it contains real-life heroes。 （It’s not often historical researchers get to be portrayed with such verve！） The art is nothing less than breathtaking， and many of the pictures weave modern landscapes with those of the past in shadows and reflections， reminding the reader that， while not visible， the past lurks just beneath the surface of the present， its influence ever reaching out in subtle ways。 。。。more
Laurie
，
3。5
Emily
，
Incendiary， haunting， beautiful， frankly should be on the required reading lists in high school junior year history classes （and well beyond， but it needs to be on reading lists when compulsive national history is taught）。。。 I can't say enough about how good this memoir/history is。 The pairing of story to art is so propulsive， but not in the way where you're not drawn to linger over individual images and ideas -- instead， in the way where you want to carry them with you when you turn the page。 F Incendiary， haunting， beautiful， frankly should be on the required reading lists in high school junior year history classes （and well beyond， but it needs to be on reading lists when compulsive national history is taught）。。。 I can't say enough about how good this memoir/history is。 The pairing of story to art is so propulsive， but not in the way where you're not drawn to linger over individual images and ideas -- instead， in the way where you want to carry them with you when you turn the page。 From a （reader's） craft perspective， I think this is one of the most well-done-on-a-technical-level graphic books I've read in a long time， because although there are a number of traditionally laid out "comics strip" pages， they're paired with many many full-page illustrations that tell the story immersively: neither style takes over the other， as they do in some lesser books; they work together to weave the different timelines into a continuous narrative。From an emotional and historical perspective， the book is a necessary and weighty and luminous （and illuminating） thing。 Hall's twining of her memoir into the history she carries and uncovers is incredible， and is one of the reasons I hope the book is widely-read: there are lessons on suppressed history， on how to do archival research， on breathing through trauma （the image of her in the field after a day of reading ships' logs is one of the many that will stay with me）， on how to resist white supremacy。 As much as I want to make Lloyds of London read this and reckon with it， mostly I'm glad that I got to read it， and that others will。 。。。more
Katie。dorny
，
Mixing personal history with global events， Rebecca really knows how to tell stories and convey the truth about erasure in history。My only downgrade was that I didn’t absolutely love the graphics - but I did like them。
Madison
，
🤍“All water has a perfect memory”
Abigail Pankau
，
Dr。 Rebecca Hall wants to know more about women’s roles in slave revolts in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and in early American colonial history， because she still feels echoes of the treatment of Blacks then in the treatment Blacks receive now。 But as she goes through the record， she finds that those who were making the records either erased or diminished the roles that women had in these revolts， in addition to people now wanting to pretend that these atrocious things didn’t happen。 Looking a Dr。 Rebecca Hall wants to know more about women’s roles in slave revolts in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and in early American colonial history， because she still feels echoes of the treatment of Blacks then in the treatment Blacks receive now。 But as she goes through the record， she finds that those who were making the records either erased or diminished the roles that women had in these revolts， in addition to people now wanting to pretend that these atrocious things didn’t happen。 Looking at what little is there， Dr。 Hall still pieces together a possible history of what may have happened and how these women could be they leaders of these revolts。 This is a memoir of her search for these records and her stories of what likely happened。 This was excellent。 It is both revealing of the atrocities of the slave-trade， but also the various ways that events or people have been erased or diminished from the record。 We can’t learn from history if it’s not written down and we can’t study it。 The stark black & white illustrations help emphasize the seriousness of the subject matter。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Every single classroom middle school and above should have this book。 It is brilliant， heartbreaking， informative， and eye opening。
Kate
，
I don't usually read graphic novels， but I enjoyed this immensely。 I don't usually read graphic novels， but I enjoyed this immensely。 。。。more
Judith Ploegman
，
Ik heb me niet gerealiseerd wat het betekent als je in alles wat er aan geschiedenis bewaard gebleven is als je voorouders geen naam hebben -in het beste geval als slaaf 1 of 8 terug te vinden zijn- en als je leven slechts wordt gezien in termen van economische- of reputatieschade van degenen die je ontmenselijkten。 Dit boek maakt invoelbaar dat er een heel groot stuk geschiedenis mist en daarmee ook waarom het een intergenerationeel trauma is dat voortduurt zolang er geen recht gedaan wordt aan Ik heb me niet gerealiseerd wat het betekent als je in alles wat er aan geschiedenis bewaard gebleven is als je voorouders geen naam hebben -in het beste geval als slaaf 1 of 8 terug te vinden zijn- en als je leven slechts wordt gezien in termen van economische- of reputatieschade van degenen die je ontmenselijkten。 Dit boek maakt invoelbaar dat er een heel groot stuk geschiedenis mist en daarmee ook waarom het een intergenerationeel trauma is dat voortduurt zolang er geen recht gedaan wordt aan deze verhalen。 Een belangrijk boek dat terecht door merg en been gaat。 。。。more
Pat
，
Frustrating there are parts that are fascinating where it focuses on the slave revolts as the title says。 I was not as interested in her research process。 I was also ambivalent about the art style with some full page pictures beautiful while some closeups too cartoon like for my liking。
Sandra VonniessenApplebee
，