Prior to reading this biographical graphic novel by Peter Bagge, I wouldn't have been able to tell you who Zore Neale Hurston was. Without multiple choice, I would have put money on her being a singer and I would have lost. But thanks to my local library and my comic book and graphic novel reading challenge, I feel that I've greatly enriched myself by learning about the talented but scandal ridden African American writer, researcher and playwright.
Zora Neale Hurston was perhaps the major female influence of the Harlem Renaissance. A known storyteller, Hurston completed her education by researching and collecting African American folklore and culture in the deep South, particularly in her home state of Florida. Her studies introduced a number of wealthy white patrons who funded her education and research. As a result, Hurston became a student of voodoo priestesses and witch doctors as well introduced to a variety of lifestyles contrary to her strict Southern Baptist upbringing.
In her spare time, Hurston wrote several semi-biographical novels including her most famous work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston was not afraid to use native dialect or set her stories in the middle of immense poverty and discrimination. Hurston's blunt portrayal of pre-World War II black lifestyle and culture inspired many to praise her truthfulness while fellow leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, like W.E.B. Dubois, criticized Hurston for perpetuating black stereotypes to white readers. Regardless of who supported her or stood in opposition to her, Zora Neal Hurston was not afraid to speak her truth.
Peter Bagge's look at the life of Zora Neale Hurston seems more like a scrapbook of the writer's life instead of a full on biography. Since the writer has been dead for over 60 years, it isn't a spoiler to mention that Bagge glosses over Hurston's death. On one page,she is suffering from early stages of heart disease. The next page jumps 13 years to long after she's been dead and buried.
I'm not sure why this is. Peter Bagge has an extensive notes section in the back of the book that requires a magnifying glass to read it. I would imagine if you used a 12 point font, the notes section would be longer than the 70 some odd pages of the graphic novel portion of the book. Bagge mentions often (in the notes) that record keeping of blacks in the days of Jim Crow and later just weren’t all that great. It could be that Peter Bagge was trying to reflect that as many of the interviews Hurston gave about herself and her childhood were jumbled collections of stories and personal history.
I enjoyed this book very much. I felt that I learned a lot about a period in history that was basically overlooked in my high school and middle school classes. I also understood some perspectives on race a little better. And now if you were to bet me on who Zora Neale Hurston was, I'd beat the house every time.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
Completing this review completes Task #18 (That's a memoir/biography) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
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