Nat Turner: Vol.2, Revolution by Kyle Baker

What do you know of African American history? Do you know of the famous and infamous who fought for the freedom of African slaves prior to Civil War? Have you heard of that fateful night in which African slaves rose up against the atrocities of slavery, killing not only their oppressors but innocents as well? If so, then you may know of Nat Turner. If you don’t know of Nat Turner, this novel will give you a glimpse into the first hand account. The novel is based on Turner’s journal and confession, of that night in history when he led slaves in a revolt against their “masters.”

This graphic novel is part two of a two part series about Turner’s infamous revolt. The absence of text to accompany the illustrations will appeal to readers as young as 5^th grade. This absence of text also adds to the simplicity of the novel which would appeal to readers in grades 5-9, and especially those with learning disabilities. The illustrations do a good job at giving a visual depiction of the story. However, older readers will find the absence of text very frustrating. It is no doubt that the purpose of this graphic novel is for the pictures to tell the story, but that is not enough for advanced readers.

I searched on-line and in libraries for part one of this novel, but was unable to locate any copies. This would have been very helpful as I have heard about Nat Turner but never read an account of his life story. I recommend reading this book as an accompaniment to a history or civics lesson on Nat Turner, slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Movement, only after having read part one of the novel.