Reading and enjoying this book, keep thinking it would make a terrific MG illustrated NF project. It’s already kind of YA.
Part of what feeds this feeling is that many biographies in the book (the biographies are sectioned into chapters of people who are “crazy as hell”, The Runaway, The Rebel, The Inmate, The Funky, The Imaginary and the Visionary) end with an enticing call for the reader to further their research. Harriet Tubman’s bio ends with “She’s the stuff of legends. Look her up.” Gabriel Prosser’s ends with “Google Gabriel Prosser to get more details on who betrayed him.”
There’s a conversational (and maybe conspiratorial?) tone in these prompts. I like that the author trusts the reader as a curator of this history and even allows the joy of discovery to whoever’s bold enough to further their research. On top of that, I kept thinking about the Dead Internet theory, how AI flood the web with garbage, how Google is basically an online marketplace, and (this one is actually actively raising my blood pressure) how the current administration is wiping information off government websites and how quickly government workers have rolled over and complied with bad actors. Cowardly as hell.
Anyway, just something I’m thinking about as I continue posting on the blog.
This looks awesome, and I love the call for the reader to keep learning more. Grateful for folks encouraging curiosity and communal knowledge in this age of cowardly censorship.
Absolutely. The power, as always, will rest with the people.