Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History Paperback – June 3, 2014

In the annals of the history of blacks in the United States, some stories are told again and again. Seeking out some of the lesser-known African-American heroes has been the passion of artist Joel Christian Gill. In Strange Fruit, Volume 1: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, Gill introduces characters and events from U.S. history that probably haven't come onto the radar of most of us, black or white.

He found some great stories. Who knew that the first American stage magician was black? Or one of the greatest lawmen of the West was black? The stories of the world-record breaking cyclist, the pre-NBA basketball player whose coach reluctantly put him in games, and the black chess master are fun to read. But the best are the stories of the men who won their freedom and their families' freedom through their efforts. One man mailed himself in a box to freedom. Another joined the army and came back to take his daughter to freedom. There is a dark, vengeful side to some of these stories, and rightly so.

Gill's simple, comic-book style presentation makes the stories fun to read and highly accessible. He also provides a bibliography so that more advanced readers can pursue these the stories further. His illustrations make the stories feel lighter than they really are. I particularly enjoyed the crows which illustrate and personify Jim Crow laws and the way those laws try to hold back Gill's subjects.

Gill calls this Volume 1. Surely the number of volumes he could write has no end. The dark chapters of slavery, prejudice, and discrimination in U.S. history are, unfortunately, long ones. I appreciate Gill's approach: by focusing on these heroes and their heroic acts and lifestyles, the evil and villainy of slavery and racism are revealed.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

For those familiar with "Strange Fruit," a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, one may assume that this title is a collection of lynching stories --- victims of the rope. Far from the truth! As Gill states, his debut graphic novel "tells stories of people who, in spite of the 'strange fruit' society where they lived, liberated themselves from the magnolia trees and tried to do something amazing...Billie Holiday sang about the time in which she lived. These stories are about amazing people during those times who, in many ways, cut their own rope."

In this first volume, Gill has assembled and unfurled a wonderful set of nine stories, infused with brilliantly elaborate illustrations, accompanied by painstakingly handwritten descriptions. There are a handful of stories that are not totally unfamiliar to readers of black history, such as Henry "Box" Brown, Marshall "Major" Taylor and Bass Reeves. But most portray obscure people and events, such as Harry "Bucky" Lew, the first competitive black basketball player; Richard Potter, the first black stage magician; and Theophilus Thompson, the first competitive chess player. Most notable are the horrific accounts of Malaga Island, Noyes Academy and the audacious letter of a black Union soldier to a slaveholder.

Gill's depictions are nothing short of inspiring as well as entertaining. The narratives are but a small yet powerful representation of emancipation. Most importantly, they are essential puzzle pieces critical to the completion of American history. Gill ends each story on a positive note, especially after such blatantly appalling accounts like Malaga Island and Noyes Academy.Read more ›

because I would very much like to read more. These biographies in comic form were captivating and informative. I was vaguely familiar with only a couple of these stories; most of them were totally new to me.

The only thing I didn't like was that several of the stories ended kind of abruptly, but that is understandable given that there's no further documented history for these folks.

Every year my students do a historical timeline. They choose a historical character to research and then perform a monologue, in costume, for an audience of parents. We are always looking for obscure characters to shed light on. Hopefully, Volume II will include some female heroes.

Strange Fruit, Volume 1: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History is a graphic anthology that celebrates unsung African-American heroes who found success "in the face of great adversity" (blurb). This book had so much potential but I am so disappointed that there are absolutely no stories about women of color in the WHOLE book. It does seem unbelievable that in 2015 there can be a book about the achievements of African-American people without any narratives about the brave women of color who have also risked so much. Women are only mentioned as baby-makers and wives. Wow. I can write about some of the excellent graphics or how much I liked some of the tie-in's in the different narratives like the crows symbolizing Jim Crow but it doesn't matter since I will not be giving this book to my daughter. I will instead give her the excellent historical non-fiction books that honor both genders, as they should.

Thank you to Edelweiss for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion