#kaley bales

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artist Kaley Bales

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Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers by Lauren Burke, Hannah K. Chapman, and Kaley Bales

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers by Lauren Burke, Hannah K. Chapman, and Kaley Bales

My Rating: 4 stars Many thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This book is being released today, April 20 2021! Lately I’ve noticed an influx of graphic fiction and nonfiction about classic women writers, and I am loving it. Why She Wrote is a great addition to the genre. The book covers eighteen British and American writers from the 18th through the early 20th century. For each…

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Why She Wrote (Chronicle Books, $19.95): Brigid Alverson did an advanced review of this new graphic novel about some of history’s greatest authors, so I’ll share what she said about it: 

This book grew out of the writers’ podcast, Bonnets at Dawn, which was sort of a “who would win this fight” but with Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen in opposite corners; it later expanded to include other women writers. They group the writers in threes, each triad focusing on an issue such as pseudonyms or intellectual property rights, then gives a brief bio of each writer followed by a comic that depicts one moment or motif in her life. So basically it’s “You’ve heard of this writer, right? Did you know she’s really badass? Here, let me show you!” 

Read more of her review here.

See what else is arriving in comic shops this week.

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[REVIEW] Hannah K. Chapman & Lauren Burke’s “Why She Wrote”

RATE: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

If you’re looking for a book about women writers in history, whose books are considered classics, then that’s the one for you! ‘Why She Wrote’ summarises the story of many female writers, mostly from the 1800-1900s, and their stories are also illustrated by Kaley Bales in a way that makes it a fun and lighthearted read. 

It’s a good way to know more authors, since some aren’t as known mainstream as others, and to know more about the lives of those you already know. This book is just perfect for people who want to start reading classics and classical authors, but find them particularly difficult to understand or keep up with, or those who don’t have much time in their hands to do so. Basically, it’s the perfect way to become familiar with classics. 

It is also a very interesting reading in a historical point of view, to analyze the context those texts were written and which struggles those writers had to go through socially to be able to speak their mind and live their life as they wished.

Basically, it’s a book that deals with heavy topics, as expected from any form of media about women who lived a century ago, especially some who were sapphics, women of color or in poverty, but the narrative of this book is as lighthearted as possible, considering the topics it portrays. It’s a great book you should certainly read if you’re interested in history and/or literature.

[themeanmagenta]

Guest comic by artist Kaley Bales!

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Why She Wrote

This book was really fun to read! The illustrations were fantastic and it was really cool to see these snapshots of these amazing women's lives and legacies. I especially liked Mary Wollstonecraft's story and found her section very moving. I do wish that they had gone a bit more in-depth into each of the women's lives, such as Beatrix Potter who did some really cool stuff in mycology before becoming an author. Overall I learned so much from this book and am definitely going to try to read more classic literature by these women!

Favorite Quote: In a time when women were second-class citizens, each of them was audacious enough to put pen to paper and write.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Authors: Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke

Illustrator: Kaley Bales

Note: I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley.