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

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This one is definitely a hard read but worth it. Every page is packed with information on an often unseen aspect of history as well as killer art. I’ve come back to this book several times in order to dig deeper on a piece of information that Hall brings up. Which if a book can do that is a win in my mind. I didn’t give it a full marking because I want more! Hall’s authorial voice is strong especially paired with the drawings. I hope she publishes more!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, War, Rape, Trafficking, and Violence

This book never shows acts of violence against the enslaved people who it centers, but in dealing with the history of slave revolts it obviously discusses the traumas that enslaved people had to face at the hands of their enslavers. So while you read about atrocities, they are never shown or discussed in a detailed way. Lots of fade to black moments where little may be said but much implied.