Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History [ペーパーバック]

How rewarding it must be for the long-silenced Abina to know that it is a young male who finally takes the important steps of giving both voice and face to her struggle for freedom. With Abina and the Important Men, African historian Trevor Getz easily bridges more than a century of history and helps us hear Abina's cry for justice as loudly and clearly as if we were in the courtroom with her. What teacher of history or social justice could resist this amazing tool, and what student could help but respond on the deepest level. This is a must read, must use book.

This book gives a voice to the mid-to-late 19th Century indentured "slave girl" Abina, who would otherwise have remained silenced forever, with the transcript to her case decaying in the crumbling archives of Ghanaian legal histories. Through its beautiful and riveting illustrations, Abina's story jumps out at the reader in a way that is more powerful than any text can ever convey on its own. It is the second half of the book, however, that makes this text different from other graphic novels and turns it into a tool that, as a teacher, I anticipate will excite the interests of any group of school children to engage in learning more about African history, women's issues, slavery and freedom.

As other reviewers have already noted, this book provides an engaging an important history of a story never meant to be told. Getz and Clarke's graphic history gives new life to Abina Mansah, an enslaved West African woman at the end of the nineteenth century, who not only fought for her freedom, but publicly redefined freedom in her own terms in the face of paternal British colonialism. Getz's interpretation of Abina's story and Clarke's beautiful illustrations break new ground, presenting academic history in a format that is accessible to public audiences and a wide range of age groups.

While the historical narrative and innovative format alone are worth the purchase of this book, the real value of the text (in a classroom setting) begins in Section II, "The Transcript". Rarely do non-specialists and lower level students have access to primary source materials, which ultimately limits their ability to critically analyze or engage with lessons and course information. Here, Getz dares to go where many historians do not, and makes transparent, the process and production of historical writing. Unlike other historians and their respective texts, Getz shares the same primary sources he worked with (in their entirety), dismantling the relationship between knowledge and power, and making unilateral pedagogical practices nearly impossible. Furthermore, section III's, "Historical Context," equips students with the historical background needed to place Abina's story within a larger context. By this time, the reader has departed from his or her role as observer and student, and has become an active participant in the making and interpretation of Abina's "history". Educators at both secondary and collegiate levels will benefit form Getz's subsequent breakdown of the role of the historian, questions of ethics, the conventions of historical writing, and the ways in which History can and should be contested. Getz is not afraid to point out the potential problems of his interpretation or Clarke's visual representations, which will undoubtedly create lively class discussion, and provide opportunities for educators and students alike to come to their own conclusions about the past.

More than an important historical narrative, this book is a valuable teaching tool designed to push students and educators alike to think about history in new ways. Getz strives to not only nuance and enrich our understandings of the past, but also the ways in which we think about and approach the past. Notwithstanding, the lessons presented in this book should not be limited to the consumption of educators, students, and non-specialists. Getz's refreshing self-awareness and constant visibility in the book, as well as his cutting edge methodological and epistemological approaches, should not be dismissed by professional historians. Getz is clearly a seasoned scholar, who flawlessly bridges the gap between public and academic history, and will undoubtedly change the way History is taught at every level.