Drawn to Change: Graphic Histories of Working-Class Struggle

by Paul M. Buhle (Editor), Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Ethan Heitner

Canadian labour history and working-class struggles are brought to life in this anthology of nine short comics, each one accompanied by an informative preface. Each comic showcases the inspiring efforts and determination of working people who banded together with others to fight to change the world.

The history of working-class struggle is a fascinating story of conflict and coercion, of resistance and triumph. It has the drama of defeat mixed with the thrill of victory, though not always in equal measure. But, working-class history is not just interesting and exciting; it also contains important lessons for labour and social justice activists today. Illustrate! Educate! Organize!

Edited by the Graphic History Collective, with Paul Buhle. Contributors include Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Althea Balmes, Christine Balmes, Sam Bradd, Paul Buhle, Nicole Marie Burton, David Camfield, Sean Carleton, Conely de Leon, Robin Folvik, Ethan Heitner, Greg Kealey, Orion Keresztesi, Mark Leier, David Lester, Andrée Lévesque, Zenee May Maceda, Dale McCartney, Doug Nesbitt, Bryan Palmer, Andrew Parnaby, Joan Sangster, Kara Sievewright, Julia Smith, Ron Verzuh, Tania Willard (Secwepemc Nation).

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Comics, Labor

200 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2016

About the author

Now retired as Senior Lecturer at Brown University, Paul Merlyn Buhle is the author or editor of 35 volumes including histories of radicalism in the United States and the Caribbean, studies of popular culture, and a series of nonfiction comic art volumes.

Reviews

[rabble.ca]

http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2016/0...

Review by Haseena Manek

"Indeed, much of what we learn about history in school, at the movies or on the History channel revolved around the lives of individuals with the most money and power in society, such as monarchs, capitalists, and politicians. But workers' lives matter too; without our labour, society would cease to function. We are important agents of social transformation, and our power is magnified when we work together."
So begins the Graphic History Collective's new collection Drawn to Change: Graphic Histories of Working Class Struggle.
Drawn to Change has over 20 contributors with nine comics portraying different moments in Canadian labour. From 19th-century Knights of Labour to the contemporary Live-in Caregiver Program, this collection of chronological graphic histories is a feat of visual expression and storytelling and an incredible resource for Canadian labour history.
The medium is a key aspect of the collection's importance and success. By engaging artists to create graphic histories based on the stories of their families, community members and comrades, this book opens the door to active, artistic and ongoing knowledge production about labour stories.
As a whole, Drawn to Change depicts more than just stories of labour activism. It is a resource for understanding the evolution of Canadian labour.

Read more here: http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2016/0...

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawn to Change is a collection of comics about the history of the labour movement in Canada. Props to the editors for ensuring that there was some intersectional focus. For example, I had never thought about the labour movement from an Indigenous perspective before. This would probably be a great book to excerpt for high school classes.

[Scott Neigh]

I reviewed this along with another book. You can find my written review here and my video review here.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an important documentation of labour history.

[Sasha Boersma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun way to present Canadian history. It works a little too hard at being factually and wholesome, which takes away from the art, but it's a great way to introduce labour history to a wider audience.

The only story I didn't like was Days of Action - having lived through it there were details missing, which is likely because the stories are very labour-focused and not economics.

Still a worthwhile read, especially for history buffs.