Peter Bagge has defied the expectations of the comics industry by changing gears from his famous slacker hero Buddy Bradley to documenting the life and times of historical 20th century trailblazers. If Bagge had not already had a New York Times bestseller with his biography of Margaret Sanger, his newest biography, Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story, would seem to be an un- fathomable pairing of author and subject. Yet through Bagge s skilled cartooning, he turns what could be a rote biography into a bold and dazzling graphic novel, creating a story as brilliant as the life itself. Hurston challenged the norms of what was expected of an African American woman in early 20th century society. The fifth of eight kids from a Baptist family in Alabama, Hurston s writing prowess blossomed at Howard University, and then Barnard College, where she was the sole black student. She arrived in NYC at the height of the Harlem Renaissance and quickly found herself surrounded by peers such as Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman. Hurston went on to become a noted folklorist and critically acclaimed novelist, including her most provocative work, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Despite these landmark achievements, personal tragedies and shifting political winds in the midcentury rendered her almost forgotten by the end of her life. With admiration and respect, Bagge reconstructs her vivid life in resounding full-colour.
About the AuthorKnown for his Hate comics, Peter Bagge s first biography was the hilariously informative New York Times bestselling graphic novel Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story. The biography was selected as a YALSA Great Graphic Novel For Teens and appeared on the Amelia Bloomer Project list of the Best Feminist Books for Young Readers; and was nominated for the Washington State Book Award and the Eisner Award for best reality-based work.
Book InformationISBN 9781770462694
Author Peter BaggeFormat Hardback
Page Count 104
Imprint Drawn and QuarterlyPublisher Drawn and Quarterly