Artist David Lester, historian and activist Marcus Rediker, and retired historian Paul Buhle reunite for a third fascinating title--after Prophet Against Slavery and Under the Banner of King Death--illuminating little-known history through graphic storytelling in Revolution by Fire: New York's Afro-Irish Uprising of 1741. The narrative opens in Boston, Mass., with two women traveling via horse-drawn carriage to New York, their progress charted by diminishing mile markers. The older woman reveals fateful events when "the impoverished, the cold, and the angry gathered in our tavern." Owned by her father, Hughson's near the Hudson River was a haven where those who were "tired o' men in ruffles runnin' everythin' " met to drink, dance, and plan revolution. Formerly enslaved John Gwin, his Irish lover, Peg Kerry, and Harriet the obeah woman all speak their own truths while the traveler shares "the common story" with her companion, whose identity is poignantly revealed near the book's end.
Lester's dynamic, black-and-white art--often larger illustrations overlaid with smaller panels spotlighting facial expressions and details--impressively animates the text, which has been adapted by Lester and Rediker from a chapter of Rediker and Peter Linebaugh's 2013 book, The Many-Headed Hydra. The "uprising by a motley crew of enslaved Africans, Irish soldiers, and mixed-race Cuban sailors, all workers on the New York waterfront" fought to overthrow the power of the abusive white elite. By showcasing "history from below," Lester and Rediker judiciously reclaim agency for the "poor, working-class people who are often left out of the history books." --Terry Hong