Literally Graphic reviewed Nat Turner by Terry Bisson
Review of 'Nat Turner' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
So to cover all the points in no particular order.
While I have a long history of not enjoying older nonfiction books that only have a smattering of black and white pictures I really enjoyed the art in this book. Perhaps this is partially to do with the fact that I have a growing awareness of good black and white art, but I also think it has to do with the way in which the art was printed. Large and graphic, I loved how I could really get into the texture of the different prints. It was also pretty cool to see some of the original documents, since I am a bit of a nerd that way. Not the most important thing, but since I generally review comic books I do have strong feelings on the topic.
That, of course, was not the only thing about this book that really …
So to cover all the points in no particular order.
While I have a long history of not enjoying older nonfiction books that only have a smattering of black and white pictures I really enjoyed the art in this book. Perhaps this is partially to do with the fact that I have a growing awareness of good black and white art, but I also think it has to do with the way in which the art was printed. Large and graphic, I loved how I could really get into the texture of the different prints. It was also pretty cool to see some of the original documents, since I am a bit of a nerd that way. Not the most important thing, but since I generally review comic books I do have strong feelings on the topic.
That, of course, was not the only thing about this book that really blew me away. The combination of science fiction author Terry Bisson and honoured academic Nathan Irvin Huggins really blew this story out of the park! Again, I generally don't expect too much from these older, black and white, grade school oriented nonfiction books but this book proved my assumptions WRONG.
The story was extremely engaging and really informative. It centers on the experience of slaves in a way that I (in my limited experience) had never really read before. Instead of being passive victims, slaves are active with ideas and a history of unrest. This is one of the major reasons why I gave this book five stars, because I do find not only excellent but also inspiring.
Another aspect that I found really skillful and inspiring was the intersectionality that this book really illustrates. Finding ways in which to reach across the lines of race and talk about how those in the lowest working classes always get the short end of the stick. Obviously, this is not a requirement, but since it didn't seem to diminish the supremely evil practice of slavery it was a nice cherry on top.
The only real drawback that came from reading this book was that when I watched the movie it felt a bit lesser. But such is life. I feel like I'm forgetting something else but I shall come back and ad it if I eventually happen to remember.