School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--After seeing his students become disillusioned following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, college professor and author Jenkins responded by creating a graphic novel that highlights key events and issues throughout history that have shaped the way Americans vote. He covers familiar topics such as the Boston Tea Party and women's suffrage but also sheds light on gerrymandering and voter intimidation. Jenkins's perspective is balanced, as he reflects on how both political parties have failed to address voting issues. Lacker's simple, uncluttered artwork balances out jam-packed text bubbles, adding clarity to the rich mosaic of information. VERDICT While voter apathy led to many refusing to participate in the 2016 elections, anticipation for the 2020 elections has been building steadily. Jenkins's rousing work will inspire students to educate themselves on the issues--and, when the time comes, to vote early and often.--Elise Martinez, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL
Publisher's Weekly Review
This rapid-fire history illustrates the evolution of and challenges to U.S. voting rights from the colonial-era Stamp Act to modern voter ID laws. Leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, Jenkins, a literature professor in North Carolina, asked his students if they planned to vote. To his dismay, only a few raised their hands. What, he wondered, could "show people, especially young people, how important voting is?" This graphic work takes that lofty aim, but in the contemporary context of the President calling elections "rigged" and foreign government's interference in political campaigns, Jenkins notes, "it takes a Herculean effort to shake up the political status quo." How, he argues, could the U.S. actually make it easier for more people to vote? Taking a broad survey of 250 years, at times the narrative unfolds like a well-illustrated Wikipedia article. But the exposition and Lacker's simple but energetic illustrations combine to pack valuable information on each page, while making even complex issues (such as the racism of white suffragists who fought for the 19th Amendment) easy to follow. Suited best to younger readers new to the topic, Jenkins's work lays out the high-stakes history clearly and succinctly. Agents: Su Wu and Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
A history of U.S. voting rights and the unrelenting barrage of challenges to them, with a chapter that updates the original 2020 edition. Despite an occasional bobble (no, all the states did not send representatives to the Constitutional Convention, and the Shelby County vs. Holder decision, devastating as it was, was not responsible for "overturning" the Voting Rights Act), college professor Jenkins delivers a broadly comprehensive overview that takes readers from "No taxation without representation!" to the events of Jan. 6, 2021 and beyond, with updates covering the failure of the Arizona recount and the recent flurry of legislation designed to further depress our already chronically low levels of voter participation. The additions lend currency to the story, but apathetic readers are more likely to catch a spark from other histories, such as Susan Goldman Rubin's Give Us the Vote! (2020). The graphic format does little to animate this account, as aside from some redrawn historical news photos, the drably duotone art runs to clumsily rendered portraits of figures in static poses stiffly restating talking points, uttering (in)famous quotes ("Why do we want all these people from shithole countries?")--or in a running conceit, imitating game show announcers: "Congratulations! John Adams, you've won the presidency!" The color scheme also minimizes differences in skin color, and visual elements frequently look crammed in among the fulsome blocks of lecture-y narrative. Broad, deep, and on a significant topic but more utilitarian than inspirational. (voting information, source notes) (Graphic nonfiction. 13-16) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
