Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall

59 reviews

nat_montego's review

challenging dark emotional informative fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Slavery, Colonisation, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Trafficking

Moderate: Racism and Violence

achay91's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Death, and Racism

Moderate: War

Minor: Rape

farrahsoa's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Love the illustrations. Great mix of historical stories and personal anecdotes. Especially enjoyed parts about how difficult it can be to find records of slave revolts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence

readandfindout's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars
Art: 3 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, Suicide, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Slavery, Death, Trafficking, Colonisation, Confinement, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

masterofmusix's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

5.0

This book tells an incredible story. It provides a visual depiction of what the slave trade actually looked like. It describes the story of the authors journey to find the truth about her ancestors past. It is as dark and haunting as it is illuminating. Rebecca Hall is a hero for writing this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, War, Gun violence, Racism, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Slavery, Blood, Genocide, and Sexual harassment

keelin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Suicide

mlovesbooks's review

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Racism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

A beautifully told and vital story that deserves all the attention Hall gives it and more.

I was not a fan of the art style; while Martinez's stark black-and-white images really capture the emotions of Hall's story, I do not like the way he draws people. Which, in a story about people first and foremost, was a big drawback for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicide, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Rape

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.

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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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

Minor: Pedophilia and Child abuse