Wake: The Hidden History of Women–Led Slave Revolts

Women warriors planned and led slave revolts on slave ships during the passage across the Atlantic. They fought their enslavers throughout the Americas. And then they were erased from history.

In Wake Rebecca Hall, a historian, a granddaughter of slaves, and a woman haunted by the legacy of slavery, tells their story. With in-depth archival research and a measured use of historical imagination, she constructs the likely pasts of women rebels who fought for freedom on slave ships bound to America, as well as the stories of women who led slave revolts in Colonial New York. Beneath both is Hall's own tale: of a life lived in the shadow of slavery and its consequences.

Strikingly illustrated in black and white, Wake explores both a personal and a global legacy. Part graphic novel, part memoir, it is a powerful reminder that while the past is gone, we still live in its wake.

Review

A must-read graphic history. . . an inspired and inspiring defence of heroic women whose struggles could be fuel for a more just future -- Rosemary Bray McNatt ― Guardian

Stunning. . . With its remarkable blend of passion and fact, action and reflection, Wake sets a new standard for illustrating history ― NPR

Powerful.... Wake is operating in the wake of slavery, and in a state of being awake to the past, a process Hall frames as both devastating and grounding ― New York Times Book Review

Hall and Martinez deserve tremendous credit for their work in making this research accessible. . . a superb accomplishment on every level ― Popmatters

Not only a riveting tale of Black women's leadership of slave revolts but an equally dramatic story of the engaged scholarship that enabled its discovery -- Angela Davis

An urgent, brilliant work of historical excavation ― Kirkus

Wake is a revelation. Rebecca Hall's sparse and perfectly chosen prose intersects with Hugo Martinez's beautiful woodcut-styled illustrations that uses the power of visual narratives that hearkens back to graphic masters like Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel. Hall's writing cleverly flows between the reality of her research on black women-led slave revolts and speculative ideas that uncover the spectrum of human experience and resilience -- John Jennings, Eisner Award-winning illustrator of Octavia Butler's Kindred and Parable of the Sower graphic novels

A lot of Black history is uncelebrated narratives, but even within that history there are narratives that are especially overlooked; these tend to be the stories of Black women. Rebecca Hall's diligent research and intelligent storytelling has flipped that script to celebrate the brave enslaved Black women who fought and died for their freedom with dignity. Hugo Martinez's expressive art brings these women to vivid life on the page -- Joel Christian Gill, author of Strange Fruit

Hall and Martínez connect the past and the present in a moving and exciting narrative that brings to light the history of slavery in the United States. Showing how enslaved women resisted slavery, even though their participation in rebellions remain largely absent from written records, Wake will be a crucial tool to introduce students to the problematic nature of slavery primary sources. -- Ana Lucia Araujo, Professor of History, Howard University

In this beautiful and moving graphic novel, historian Rebecca Hall unearths a history so often overlooked: the significant role Black women played in leading slave revolts. Through Hugo Martinez's vivid graphics, combined with Hall's brilliant insights and powerful storytelling, Wake transports the reader to a moment in time when a group of Black women set out to overturn the institution of slavery in British North America. Their courageous story, told with remarkable skill and elegance, offers hope and inspiration for us all. -- Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on Fire

About the Author

Rebecca Hall (Author)
Rebecca Hall is a lawyer, historian and activist. She has taught history at UC Berkeley, and was a visiting professor of law at the University of Utah. Her writing focuses on the history of race, on gender and law, and on feminist theory.

Hugo Martinez (Illustrator)
Hugo Martinez is a comic book illustrator and artist from California.