Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Imported to America by the ever-adventurous Fantagraphics, Run for It was the subject of much acclaim and multiple award nominations in its native Brazil. Centering on resistance of blacks to Brazil's history of enslavement over the course of centuries, the four stories here all tell of individuals and groups who fought or made a break for it. Words are minimal, and the images live in a stark white world slowly being encroached upon by smudges of shadow. Sexuality and violence, which often go hand in hand here, are rendered with a grim visual poetry that merely suggests the brutality but never leaves the emotional or physical aftermath in question. The image-intensive approach forces readers to slow down and take in the complex visual experience, which taps more deeply into emotion and renders the tales all the more accessible. Although they are based on true stories and the oppression is painfully real, D'Salete employs moments of magic realism that can take the reader bracingly off guard. Consequently, the first story, about a slave who murders his lover and then meets her once again while on the run, and the final story, which uses the Quibungo a mythical wilderness monster with a mouth in the back of its neck as a symbolic terror, both resonate the most robustly.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
First published in 2015 in D'Salete's native Brazil, this striking graphic novel exposes the brutality of slavery on that country's sugarcane plantations via five stories of slaves who attempted escape. With a dry-brush effect, the art conveys the dark, foreboding danger of the jungles surrounding the plantations and the energy and moods of the men and women who react to their enslavement in various ways. A young woman, Nana, is hesitant to leave the relative comfort of the plantation kitchen. Her lover Valu, who works in the fields, desperately longs for escape. This tension between safety and freedom underscores the decision each character eventually makes. D'Salete depicts their determination with a few lines and well-placed shading, though the women lack the same visual individuality that male characters have. Brief touches of the supernatural, in the tradition of Latin American magical realism, show how characters transcend unfathomable horrors. This graphic novel is a beautiful, brutal, and profound work of art that ensures that the legacy of brave men and women who refused to relinquish their humanity will not disappear. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Four brutal, tragic stories focus on Africans enslaved in Brazil who fought for their freedom while under Portuguese colonization. Lovers Valu and Nanu escape only through suicide. Calu knifes the slave-owner's son after his mother "the mistress" throws Calu's newborn down a well. Ganzo heads a slave rebellion, but the only survivor is the slave who betrayed them. In the sole successful effort, Damaio leads other villagers in burning the homes of the Portuguese slavers preying on them. Angular high-contrast, black-and-white art hypes the horror and heroism, playing the lush island foliage against dank shadows. (LJ 12/17) © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
