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A review by balfies
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall
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 MartÃnez 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 MartÃnez 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