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lucyob's review against another edition
2.5
this wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. the dialogue felt stilted and the design of the pages looked like someone knew that graphic novelists/comic artists do certain things, but they didn't know why. I like the concept of the book and it made sense for my profs to assign it, but I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't been assigned it, even though it's very short.
chelseamartinez's review against another edition
5.0
This seems like such a perfect book for teaching college students (AP History students?) about the process of doing academic historical research. It takes a seemingly slight bit of historical data and adds layers and layers of research, historical context, and differing perspectives on the story, benefiting from a second edition in a way few books I have read do. I loved it.
library_kb's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I really appreciated this graphic novel, not as much the actual graphic novel piece (though that was well done) but for the explanation of the process of writing and doing history that is explained at the end. I was only tangentially aware of all of the work that goes into being a historian, and while I am no expert by any means, after this book, I have the beginnings of understanding the process.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
This is an intriguing peek into a piece of Gold Coast (Ghanaian) history. About half of the book is the graphic novelization itself, while the remainder of the book has source documentation, a section discussing the historical context of the events, a reading guide, & suggestions on how to use the book in classroom settings, ranging from about middle/high school to graduate students. (That said, I'm not quite sure who the best target audience would be... maybe high school?)
Abina's story is unique in that there are actual historical records of her lawsuit & proceedings, an unusual find given that she was an enslaved female who used the legal system to fight back. As we all know, history tends to be written by the winners/those in charge, so you don't often hear the stories of those without power.
Overall, an interesting slice of history (if a bit dryly presented at times).
Personally, I would like to see Abina's story through the eyes of a Ghanaian historian/author. A female historian/author too.
If graphic novels are not your thing & you are interested in a different, more complex enslaved woman's story (a fictional book based on historical events), check out [b:The Infamous Rosalie|17617553|The Infamous Rosalie|Evelyne Trouillot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378802914l/17617553._SY75_.jpg|1027593] (Haiti) by [a:Evelyne Trouillot|518712|Evelyne Trouillot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458563480p2/518712.jpg].
Abina's story is unique in that there are actual historical records of her lawsuit & proceedings, an unusual find given that she was an enslaved female who used the legal system to fight back. As we all know, history tends to be written by the winners/those in charge, so you don't often hear the stories of those without power.
Overall, an interesting slice of history (if a bit dryly presented at times).
Personally, I would like to see Abina's story through the eyes of a Ghanaian historian/author. A female historian/author too.
If graphic novels are not your thing & you are interested in a different, more complex enslaved woman's story (a fictional book based on historical events), check out [b:The Infamous Rosalie|17617553|The Infamous Rosalie|Evelyne Trouillot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378802914l/17617553._SY75_.jpg|1027593] (Haiti) by [a:Evelyne Trouillot|518712|Evelyne Trouillot|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1458563480p2/518712.jpg].
livruther's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
4.25
I enjoyed this book. I don’t love graphic novels, and the writing wasn’t my absolute favorite, but the story was very compelling, and it made me a little bit emotional. I wish the characters were introduced better instead of just thrown onto the page because that would make it easier to keep track of them bc there are kinda a lot of characters for a short book and many of them have similar names.
slimikin's review against another edition
3.0
I read this anticipating a graphic novel depicting the story of an African woman facing down "the Important Men" to get what she felt was her due. And I got that. But Abina and the Important Men is much more of a lesson on how to be a historian than it is a graphic portrayal of a historical event.
Getz does an admirable job---in my admittedly non-historian perspective---of showing how historians do their work: looking at primary sources of several varieties, piecing together the context for those sources, taking into consideration their own biases, painstakingly sketching in a deeper understanding of the past, and opening themselves to the critical assessments and alternate perspectives of their fellow historians. For that reason, I'd say that Abina is an excellent introduction for any hopeful future historians.
As a graphic novel, it's entertaining, but while Abina's story matters, it's only the beginning of a journey this book encourages its reader to undertake.
Getz does an admirable job---in my admittedly non-historian perspective---of showing how historians do their work: looking at primary sources of several varieties, piecing together the context for those sources, taking into consideration their own biases, painstakingly sketching in a deeper understanding of the past, and opening themselves to the critical assessments and alternate perspectives of their fellow historians. For that reason, I'd say that Abina is an excellent introduction for any hopeful future historians.
As a graphic novel, it's entertaining, but while Abina's story matters, it's only the beginning of a journey this book encourages its reader to undertake.