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Reviews tagging 'Rape'
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall
29 reviews
balfies's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.5
A graphic novel, memoir, history, and historiography of a historian's investigation into slave riots that were led by women.
The history itself is scarce, pieced together by scraps - but it suggests that slave riots occurred on 1 in 10 ships during the transatlantic slave trade, and the #1 thing that increased the likelihood of revolt was the presence of women on board. Hall pieces together and reconstructs a likely version of events for these women, giving them the agency and personhood denied them by history.
It is, at the same time, an account of Hall's own research, and the modern day racist walls that stood in her way - white supremacist bureaucracy, forbidden archives, police escorts through the stacks where these sources are buried.
Evocative illustrations by Hugo Martínez filled with resonant imagery and metaphor bring these dual stories to life. This was a quick but very compelling read.
The history itself is scarce, pieced together by scraps - but it suggests that slave riots occurred on 1 in 10 ships during the transatlantic slave trade, and the #1 thing that increased the likelihood of revolt was the presence of women on board. Hall pieces together and reconstructs a likely version of events for these women, giving them the agency and personhood denied them by history.
It is, at the same time, an account of Hall's own research, and the modern day racist walls that stood in her way - white supremacist bureaucracy, forbidden archives, police escorts through the stacks where these sources are buried.
Evocative illustrations by Hugo Martínez filled with resonant imagery and metaphor bring these dual stories to life. This was a quick but very compelling read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape
lowbrowhighart's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Pedophilia and Child abuse
robinks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
I didn’t like the illustrations, and the layout of some of the pages made the words difficult to follow. But overall, it was both heartbreaking and frustrating to read about lost history and how it repeats itself today in racist patriarchy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Grief, Sexism, Gun violence, Death, Trafficking, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Pregnancy, Blood, and Suicide
maraycher's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Rape and Murder
josb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Very powerful but also very heavy. This graphic novel chronicles Hall's research into finding women-led slave revolts throughout history. Readers are exposed to the physical and emotional barriers of finding this information as well as excerpts from historical documents where slaves are seen as property and nothing else. The story does not pull punches, it is a very hard read but I feel like I have gained more empathy and understanding as a result.
The art was accurate for the whole mood of the novel. There were some creative choices in paneling that just blew me away.
Not something I would recommend if you are looking for a positive mood boost. I can usually tear through the toughest graphic novels in a few hours but I had to put this down and walk away periodically. If you are looking for something to push yourself and make you feel uncomfortable this is a great option and is not so dry you lose interest partway through.
The art was accurate for the whole mood of the novel. There were some creative choices in paneling that just blew me away.
Not something I would recommend if you are looking for a positive mood boost. I can usually tear through the toughest graphic novels in a few hours but I had to put this down and walk away periodically. If you are looking for something to push yourself and make you feel uncomfortable this is a great option and is not so dry you lose interest partway through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Slavery, and Racism
Minor: Rape and Suicide
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Rape
kelsreadsthings's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
this is a powerful insight and look into slave revolts and the women who led them. this is also a fantastic commentary on how our past affects our present, the generational trauma that has been passed down to black people and how we can find a bit of hope and resilience in the end. the illustrations for this book are incredible and add such depth to Dr. Hall's story. a hard and difficult read, but a necessary one if we are to ever move on from white supremacy, racism, and it's effects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This is another important graphic novel to read. I wish that Hall had been able to find more information about the women lead slave revolts. The fact that this is her journey intermixed with history and her reimagining of historical events is powerful, but just highlights the fact that there is still so much to learn about history. The ending felt rushed, but I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
5.0
I expected to like this because I am enjoy graphic nonfiction and thought that this would be an interesting topic -- and one that isn't often discussed. My expectations were fairly high but this totally exceeded them.
This isn't just the story of a few revolts, it is also the author's story of being a Black woman historian studying this legacy. She does not shy away from the real issues that she faced trying to study this. She talks about the barriers to archives because of misogynoir at the time (men not recording details about women) and as it lives on today (being demeaned or even refused entry to some archives). She also goes into some of the weight of learning about such tremendous violence and loss that is a part of her history.
Throughout, she also shares the story of several women throughout history. She shares the story of women leading several revolts in the colonies as well as on the slave ships. She also discusses her connection to her ancestors, even sharing her grandmother’s story of resilience. Some instances where there are no details beyond the acknowledgement that an attempt at revolt was made, she gave some of these women a story. She wraps up the book talking about ancestor and the presence of history.
This was such a powerful book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape
tinavonk's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This book made me angry, which I know was the author's purpose; she did a fabulous job! The author was correct on every front about the hidden and erased history of women-led revolts. The lack of records is downright disgusting and Dr. Hall brought all of that to light.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Rape