On one level the African America story is complex. But on another level, the story is simple and direct: the more women present, the more revolts against slavery.

This story is a direct refutation of the popular view that because more men than women were enslaved, there were a limited number of “slave revolts”. While many of us feel that resistance was happening since day one, the proof was scant and usually known only to serious scholars on enslavement in the Western Hemisphere.

Now there is a graphic history book that not only focuses on resistance but moreover shines the light on women who fought against enslavement. In Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts professor Rebecca Hall breaks it down in both words and images (by illustrator Hugo Martinez).

We know Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, but Hall reaches deep into her personal family history augmented by heavy archival research. Inspired by what she found, she creates an important addition to the historic record.