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A review by jjkmanga
White all around by Wilfrid Lupano
3.0
3.5 stars *may change
trigger warnings: racism, death, anti-blackness
It must be pointed out first and foremost that this is a story about the black experience in America in the 1800s. That being said, the author, Wilfrid Lupano, is, as far as I can tell, white. I'm not a black reviewer, and so it is not my place to say if Lupano has the right to tell such a story. This foreword is a warning. This is not, from what I've seen, an own voices.
I think the art for a graphic novel must, to some extent, capture the story. For that, you must know the story first.
White All Around is a historically-based graphic novel about a female boarding school in 1832 Canterbury, Connecticut. Its headmistress, Prudence Crandall, admits a young black girl named Sarah into the school as is met by immediate backlash. Obviously, she retaliates by making it a school for women of color only. So on, and so on.
I really did love the art style for this. The color palettes change every scene from warm reds to a harsh purple or somber blues. It's very cartoony, but I think it's charming in that sense.
I did appreciate the addition of historical photographs, biographies, and documents. A graphic novel can only capture so much of reality when that reality has been hidden or unknown. The ending pages provide the real-life people and scenarios the story portrays. It's a good way to tell their story.
I never know how to review graphic novels. They look lovely, but they really only take me like an hour to read. It was quite alright.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced reader's copy.
trigger warnings: racism, death, anti-blackness
It must be pointed out first and foremost that this is a story about the black experience in America in the 1800s. That being said, the author, Wilfrid Lupano, is, as far as I can tell, white. I'm not a black reviewer, and so it is not my place to say if Lupano has the right to tell such a story. This foreword is a warning. This is not, from what I've seen, an own voices.
I think the art for a graphic novel must, to some extent, capture the story. For that, you must know the story first.
White All Around is a historically-based graphic novel about a female boarding school in 1832 Canterbury, Connecticut. Its headmistress, Prudence Crandall, admits a young black girl named Sarah into the school as is met by immediate backlash. Obviously, she retaliates by making it a school for women of color only. So on, and so on.
I really did love the art style for this. The color palettes change every scene from warm reds to a harsh purple or somber blues. It's very cartoony, but I think it's charming in that sense.
I did appreciate the addition of historical photographs, biographies, and documents. A graphic novel can only capture so much of reality when that reality has been hidden or unknown. The ending pages provide the real-life people and scenarios the story portrays. It's a good way to tell their story.
I never know how to review graphic novels. They look lovely, but they really only take me like an hour to read. It was quite alright.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced reader's copy.