Reviews

Nat Turner by Nat Turner, Kyle Baker

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sam_dupree_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.0

If you know next to nothing about Nat Turner like I did when I began this novel, get ready to learn a whole lot.
I had only ever heard of the Nat Turner Rebellion in passing in history class, most teachers probably finding it difficult to speak on. But this graphic novel does a great job of placing things in historical context both before and during the rebellion and while the actions are never portrayed as downright heroics, they are seen as justified. It art is a wonderful addition as you can pack so much emotion into simple line art. I know of quite a few students who would likely enjoy reading this and perhaps it will encourage them to delve deeper into history than we currently do.

remigves's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

glecharles's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

As intense as I remember when I first read it years ago, it's arguably more relevant today in light of "CRT" misinformation and book challenges.

Content Warnings

elderkinhv's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

3.5

thatoneandrea's review against another edition

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4.0

Kyle Baker's Nat Turner is a graphic text which shows the life of the often forgotten Nat Turner divided into four sections (home, education, freedom, and triumph) -- and specifically the 1831 slave rebellion he's most known for. The home section is mostly about his mothers life before he was even born and what she had to go through in the slave trade (which he's only heard through stories obviously). The education section as it sounds like goes into detail about how he learned to read and write while still born a slave, as well as some of the horrors he saw growing up. Finally, the freedom portion of the story is a visualized account of the rebellion that started on August 21, 1831, which has become one of the most crucial instances of black resistance, while also simultaneously one of the most controversial moments in civil rights history. Lastly, the triumph section is a short, to the point account of his Turner's victory -- he may have died, but he had completed his mission here on Earth.

Honestly, this is probably one of the most unique books I've had to read for my graphic narratives class because it told so much with the fewest amount of words. Almost every frame that was shown was so well-drawn as for words to not even be needed. Instead of describing everything, or even having dialogue, the drawings instead speak for themselves and Baker does a good job with the visualization of Turner's story.

This story would likely be best read by audiences that are a bit more advance or mature, and so because of that I wouldn't recommend that middle schoolers or younger read this in an academic setting. There are fairly graphic depictions of violence throughout, as well as some of the things the slaves have to go through are unflinchingly brutal -- such as the scene in the beginning between the baby and the sharks.

shanaedidgood's review against another edition

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5.0

Well written. The illustrations are breath taking. I've never even heard of Kyle Baker's Nat Turner...it slipped right under my radar. This graphic novel was fabulous. I do not know that the novel does what it sets out to accomplish, but I feel like the account from Baker is well needed and provides a foundation for other research/work on Nat Turner's life.