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Fire!!

The Zora Neale Hurston Story

Drawn and Quarterly

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ISBN10: 1770462694
ISBN13: 9781770462694

Hardcover

104 Pages

$21.95

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Peter Bagge’s skilled cartooning creates a story as brilliant as the life of the subject—Zora Neale Hurston—herself.

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 New York City 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-color.

Reviews

Praise for Fire!!

"Peter Bagge's Fire!! is thoroughly researched and eminently readable. Weaving together the complex tapestry of Zora Neale Hurston's life (and featuring accurate-and-entertaining cameos by Langston Hughes and Alice Walker, among others), this graphic novel is both insightful and fun to read—a rare combination."—Tami Navarro, Ph.D. Barnard Center for Research on Women, Columbia University

"From its cover image on, Bagge’s Fire!! presents Zora Neale Hurston’s story in a format worthy of its subject. Vibrant and humorous, this comic book is as an homage—‘warts and all’—to a heroine who lived her life as an adventure fueled by intellectual curiosity, and creative desire."—Glenda R. Carpio, Professor of English & African and African American Studies, Harvard University
"Zora Neale Hurston was always larger than life, colorful—the ideal subject for graphic work. Here comes Peter Bagge’s well-researched interpretation of her talent, persistence, contrariness, and just Zora-ness in Fire!!. Here’s Zora laughing, also looking mean and impressive."—Missy Dehn Kubitschek, Professor of English and Africana Studies, IUPUI