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kistireads's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC Excerpt in exchange for an honest review.
As this was just an excerpt, I cannot review it as I would a full novel. However, I can say that I've been wanting to read Stamped from the Beginning, in novel format, for quite some time. So when I saw that there was a graphic novel being written and that an excerpt was being made available, I had to request it. I've been intimidated to read Stamped from the Beginning, as I'm sure many other readers are, the content can seem quite dense and because of its important in addition, can be intimidating.
So far, this excerpt was easy to understand, even if it was packed full of information, and less intimidating to digest! I think with this being written, readers will find it easier to read, even as a preliminary read to the full fledged novel. I am not sure if they will be an exact comparison, but even still, this graphic novel feels like a great start. Within the 71 pages of the excerpt I've already learned more about the sides of history that are not taught in our regular schools in the USA.
I would 100% purchase the full length version when it is released, and I would recommend this to family and friends as well.
As this was just an excerpt, I cannot review it as I would a full novel. However, I can say that I've been wanting to read Stamped from the Beginning, in novel format, for quite some time. So when I saw that there was a graphic novel being written and that an excerpt was being made available, I had to request it. I've been intimidated to read Stamped from the Beginning, as I'm sure many other readers are, the content can seem quite dense and because of its important in addition, can be intimidating.
So far, this excerpt was easy to understand, even if it was packed full of information, and less intimidating to digest! I think with this being written, readers will find it easier to read, even as a preliminary read to the full fledged novel. I am not sure if they will be an exact comparison, but even still, this graphic novel feels like a great start. Within the 71 pages of the excerpt I've already learned more about the sides of history that are not taught in our regular schools in the USA.
I would 100% purchase the full length version when it is released, and I would recommend this to family and friends as well.
kshertz's review
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
It’s really amazing all the different ways that stamped gets this history and information to readers. This interpretation is simply brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Blood, Xenophobia, War, Misogyny, Murder, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, and Slavery
aswygs's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
not the best medium for the information perhaps
the narrative was difficult to follow
good information
appreciate kendi’s work
the narrative was difficult to follow
good information
appreciate kendi’s work
bickie's review
4.0
Thank you to Penguin Random House for a free copy of this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
Another stellar adaptation of Kendi's important scholarly work, Stamped From the Beginning, this time a graphic adaptation intended for adults. I found the first chapter a little bit hard to follow, trying to tie in all the threads; however, the remaining four chapters and two end episodes were excellent. The chapters are modeled on Kendi's original Parts, with the historical figures Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Anglea Davis serving as "tour guides for our exploration of the landscape of racial ideas through five periods in American history. While the artwork sometimes looks a bit like caricatures, historical figures are discussed in all their complexity; some, like Jefferson, Garrison, and Du Bois, were both racist and anti-racist in their expressed beliefs.
This book is best suited to those who genuinely want to learn more about the roots of racism in the United States and how it has informed our laws and institutions. Segregationists will likely not be convinced.
Gill's choice to use modern colloquial speech to represent expressed thoughts of various historical figures is both effective and (sometimes) funny; in the author's note/speech bubble at the very beginning, he explains that while they are "adapted from a variety of sources, including books, letters, interviews, historical records, and the original edition of Stamped from the Beginning," they "are not intended as a verbatim reproduction of dialogue." Gill also uses a minstrel-looking Black face in the place of the N-word (something he also did in the Talented Tenth biographies), and harmful/racist speech is recorded in black, dripping speech bubbles in contrast with regular bubbles for antiracist speech.
Highly recommend!
Another stellar adaptation of Kendi's important scholarly work, Stamped From the Beginning, this time a graphic adaptation intended for adults. I found the first chapter a little bit hard to follow, trying to tie in all the threads; however, the remaining four chapters and two end episodes were excellent. The chapters are modeled on Kendi's original Parts, with the historical figures Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Anglea Davis serving as "tour guides for our exploration of the landscape of racial ideas through five periods in American history. While the artwork sometimes looks a bit like caricatures, historical figures are discussed in all their complexity; some, like Jefferson, Garrison, and Du Bois, were both racist and anti-racist in their expressed beliefs.
This book is best suited to those who genuinely want to learn more about the roots of racism in the United States and how it has informed our laws and institutions. Segregationists will likely not be convinced.
Gill's choice to use modern colloquial speech to represent expressed thoughts of various historical figures is both effective and (sometimes) funny; in the author's note/speech bubble at the very beginning, he explains that while they are "adapted from a variety of sources, including books, letters, interviews, historical records, and the original edition of Stamped from the Beginning," they "are not intended as a verbatim reproduction of dialogue." Gill also uses a minstrel-looking Black face in the place of the N-word (something he also did in the Talented Tenth biographies), and harmful/racist speech is recorded in black, dripping speech bubbles in contrast with regular bubbles for antiracist speech.
Highly recommend!
ashleypd88's review
5.0
I’m not a graphic novel reader, but from now on I will always prefer graphic novels for big topics. This novel turned Kendi’s “Stamped from the Beginning” into something very powerful and readable in small chunks. Normally non-fiction is tough for me to stay focused on, but having the illustrations and excellent explanations made reading this such a valuable learning process. I loved how the novel was split into different time periods of American history to explore how racism affected people at each time. I knew some of what was discussed but there were many things that were brand new to me. I think everyone should pick this up and check it out!