America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History

by Ariel Aberg-Riger

A critical, unflinching cultural history and fierce beacon of hope for a better future, America Redux is a necessary and galvanizing read.   What are the stories we tell ourselves about America?  How do they shape our sense of history,  cloud our perceptions,  inspire us?  America Redux explores the themes that create our shared sense of American identity and interrogates the myths we’ve been telling ourselves for centuries. With iconic American catchphrases as chapter titles, these twenty-one visual stories illuminate the astonishing, unexpected, sometimes darker sides of history that reverberate in our society to this very day—from the role of celebrity in immigration policy to the influence of one small group of white women on education to the effects of “progress” on housing and the environment, to the inspiring force of collective action and mutual aid across decades and among diverse groups.  Fully illustrated with collaged archival photographs, maps, documents, graphic elements, and handwritten text, this book is a dazzling, immersive experience that jumps around in time and will make you view history in a whole different light. 

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Graphic Novels, Historical, Teen, Politics, Art

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned something new (to me) in each and every section. The images give the text vibrancy, which accentuates it, so the book becomes a kind of exhibit, a multimedia presentation of what we need to know about the real history of the United States. Definitely recommend, especially for young people, but really anyone.

[Erikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough about this book. The art is beautiful, the writing is lovely, and it could not be coming out at a better time in our tumultuous history. I am daily made more and more sickened by the book banning, censorship, and rewriting of history that is being carried out by people who have never been told no a single day in their lives. This book takes history and brings it to the forefront in exactly the way it happened, not the way we’re told it happened. The author teaches history the way I always taught history; like a river, one event flowing into the next flowing into the next. History is a story and it needs to be told us a story. And it’s about time that people stop leaving chapters out. That only leaves a history book that makes no sense. I liked this so much that I plan on buying a physical copy when it’s finally published because I want to be able to look back over chapters and remind myself that, although the world is slowly trying to gaslight us into believing a more positive image of history, it isn’t pretty. It isn’t nice. It isn’t inclusive. But it’s ours. And we need to own that.

[Sarah S. Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must add for any American history collection. The visuals are striking, and the perspective on American history centers the experiences of marginalized people. Even history buffs are likely to learn something, and it's just plain fun to page through.

[Katie Florida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the visuals of this book!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

this fucks

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT WAS SO GOOD - if there is one thing I never stop talking about, it's the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. BUT, if there's a *second* thing I never stop talking about, it's that so many people don't care about history as much as they could, or SHOULD, for the simple reason that it is TAUGHT SO BADLY. But this book. THIS BOOK has the template that can get people to care! There should be heavy underlines on the words "dynamic" and "visual" in the title, because I firmly believe therein lies the key. This is history relevant to our lives now, this is history for those who have traditionally been cast to the margins and asides of textbooks, this is history that confidently has an answer for "why should we care?" This is the story of how we got where we are and why, told as ultra-compellingly as I know can be possible. An impactful read, I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Stephanie Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Katie Vogelpohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply cool. A graphic explanation of America's more marginalized moments/populations. Highly recommend to anyone interested in history, but looking for something a little less dry than standard non-fiction.

[Libriar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much that after I read a library copy I ordered a copy for my home in hopes that my middle school-aged children (and maybe even my husband) will pick it up and read it in the next few years. Several chapters were about things I knew very little about. All the information was presented in easy-to-digest lengths with excellent accompanying primary and secondary source visuals.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

America Redux is a fantastic collection of graphic essays connecting American history to the present, with a lens on explaining the ongoing challenges for people of color and queer folks. The essays were the perfect length, covering a relatively broad array of subjects that complemented each other well. There was a wide variety in the spread design, and writing the essays by hand was a good choice.

This connected the dots on several things that I hadn't put together, like the dates of the Trail of Tears compared with the Civil War: Southerners stole fertile land from Native Americans to grow cotton using slave labor. It highlighted the continuous battle over social hierarchy and controlling information -- this isn't the first time the nation's faced widespread book bans.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and thoughtful perspective on presenting American history for young and old.

[Kimberly Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a visual interesting book. I mean that's the point of it but I loved each moment. Each moment in history was chosen to show the history and how each almost fold into another. I enjoyed learning new information along with relearning a few things here and there. I hardcore recommend this book to history fans.

[Eija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the visual design and information. Wonderful book to share with teens. Gave it to a HS teacher, and they wanted more copies!

[Alicia Terrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about pieces of history I've never learned about before, especially as it relates to marginalized people. I also loved the art throughout. It was fascinating!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has a Magic School Bus feel to it, as the narrative explores lesser-known pieces of history in an interesting way.

A beautifully assembled book that leans heavily on artistic design to communicate, I loved how this helped me to reframe things I thought I knew. For example, I knew that enslaved Black workers resisted slavery, and I also knew heinous stereotypes (exist)ed about how Black people were somehow simultaneously lazy *and* better suited to menial work. I knew that the stereotypes served the purposes of people trying to prevent any advancement on the part of African-Americans, but it struck me anew that because the resistance efforts included stopping or slowing work when possible, it would have been easy to twist that to feed the stereotype instead of acknowledging the strength and perseverance that kind of resistance takes. Believing in, or actively sharing a propagandized stereotype is a choice that is made and we can all push back against those assumptions.

The sources in the back came to my attention early on. My own assumption was that sources would be sparse if they were included at all. I was so wrong. There are not only a variety of sources listed, but there is a kind of discovery commentary along the way that describes how the author came upon a resource. I was geeked to read about how one resource was a primary inspiration while another simply offered some back-up facts. It was a nice window into the historical research process.

Something else that impressed me about the way this is put together is the focus on lesser-known activists, and the length of time that some of these people spent working to get what they needed. Progress has never been speedy, and it has almost always come about through a complex combination of efforts, not a single superhero. Case in point, Emanuel Celler working to loosen the overly restrictive and discriminatory immigration laws passed in the 1920s. It took him 40 years.

History is a web of connections, between people, ideas, events, times, and places. As we drive away from Niagara Falls I’m reading about the corporate pollution that made areas of that municipality uninhabitable and increased residents’ mortality. A reference to the legendary cities of Cibola makes me think of The Stand, demonstrating that not only are stories connected across history, but also into fiction. And the Cibola story here specifically highlights finding history in the gaps between the stories, a concept that I find fascinating.

The final sentence of the afterward sticks the landing: “We can’t change the past. But we can live in relationship with it in a way that informs and energizes our present. We are walking through history all the time, and it is up to us to keep circling, to keep engaging, to keep reaching for the heart of things.”

It’s exactly halfway through the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a favorite book of the year.

[Whitney Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read as far as I’m concerned. Beautiful art, but more importantly, important history that is often swept under the rug.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly illustrated walk through history, telling stories that center the disenfranchised. Chapters are short, and while the text is not long, it is precise and is well foot-noted at the back of the book. The images enhance the stories well, putting faces to names and evoking the harsh experiences of many. I reviewed a galley in which only about 20 pages were on nice, colored paper. I expect the entire book will be printed that way and the combination of black and white photos with bright design elements is striking. Like many, I find my own history education through high school to be lacking and am gratified to see a young adult nonfiction history book that's attractive, inviting, and something anyone would want to read to educate themselves further.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The format of this book is uniquely visual and the content incredibly powerful; it’s impossible to put down once you start reading. I liked how different eras and movements are connected by themes and the clichés of American history are the starting point of each chapter. This book is so important and I hope it will be picked up by educators to provide an intersectional lens to their curriculum.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never a graphic novel person until this book. The visuals absolutely blew me away, and allowed the history to jump off the page. Additionally, this was such a great read for me despite having a history degree — because there’s so much here that isn’t taught in your traditional history classes. What an amazing read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my journey into the history of the United States, one book at a time, America Redux provides an illustrated and intentional version of a non-linear narrative of prolific moments/events throughout the existence of the nation. As the preface suggests, linear minds often “look for cause and effect” in the examination of the passage of time rather than how Native Americans viewed it, which is cyclical and built on balance and relationships. In fairness, I have long advocated for linear curricula in the history department for that very reason in part because I feel pre-teens and early adolescents, particularly ones with varying degrees of background knowledge don’t have the depth of knowledge yet to make these critical connections with consistency. Yet, this is what makes the book so compelling and difficult to judge—at times I felt it was perfect as a tangible resource for a classroom and at other times I felt like it left too much out. Mexican repatriation? Hoover’s Bonus Army? Lend-Lease? Topics covered included essential mainstream history such as abolitionism, immigration, Reconstruction, and internment camps among others. However, the narrative often went a step further in uncovering the truth about America—how white women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton wanted no part in including black women in their fight for equality and suffrage at Seneca Falls and beyond; how Governor Ronald Reagan undermined the Delano Grape Strike in 1960s California despite awful working conditions for the immigrants; how Native lands were raped for the natural resources, stripping the aesthetics and poisoning the water; how thousands of Americans were forcibly sterilized by the government and its subsidiaries during the 20th Century; how Hawaii was usurped by imperialists and colonized. The relationship of all these stories is a tale as old as time. The deep, dark history of the U.S., the one red state legislators continue to write bills about (https://theconversation.com/how-new-s....), is fraught with the systemic oppression of marginalized groups time and time again. Continuing to read about it and pass along the information is a good way to proliferate awareness.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist.
This outstanding, visual, storytelling history book should be a part of every American history collection.

Linear time lines look for cause and effect.
Native American mines “seek to comprehend relationships with the “emphasis on achieving balance – within yourself, your family and your community, broader communities, the environment.”
History textbooks are dry and impersonal. Visual storytelling makes you see, read and digest information differently. It history come alive as we attempt a new way of seeing history, by visually shaping the stories.

There are 21 chapters/visual stories: The Good Old Days, Let Freedom, Ring, Spreading Democracy, A Nation of Immigrants, Traditional Family Values, One Nation under God, Home of the Brave, Give Me Liberty, Good Guy with a Gun, A New World, This Land Is Your Land, A Car in Every Garage, White Picket Fences, Wish You Were Here, As American As, The Old Ball Game, Down on the Farm, Made in America, Streets Paved with Gold, Nose to the Grindstone, We Are the People.
In addition to a preface and afterword, there is acknowledgments, extensive bibliographic information, image sources, and Index.

This is a visual experience with contrasting images, archival photographs, maps, documents, portraits and photographs, graphic diverse texts, all caps handwritten text providing an electric, critical cultural history of United States history.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simultaneously listened to the audiobook while reading along with a physical copy of this book, which I feel is the best way to experience this nonfiction visual history. Using a lens similar to that of American historian Howard Zinn, Ariel Aberg-Riger critically retells challenging moments in our country’s past. Graphically, this reads like a scrapbook with vintage images pasted together with overlying scrawling script. It feels a bit chaotic and jarring to navigate which is why the audiobook helps keep pace. Ultimately this book is a critique of the white supremacy that permeates our political and social foundations- from injustices against the black community to treatment of Native Americans to xenophobic immigration policies. Topics are wide-ranging including AIDS, guns, religion, poverty, pollution, and more. Be prepared to have certain revered historical figures knocked off their pedestal such as women’s suffragettes. This book will make you think on the past… and rethink previous perspectives. It is timely, important and a quick read.

[Kirstenszantor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aberg-Riger is a master of leaving you wanting to know more. She writes about a myriad of topics (21, to be exact) and delves into each one just deep enough to leave you with more questions. History is complex and often the version we are taught is severely lacking. Aberg-Riger is able to tell a lot in just a few pages per chapter via photographs and pictures of artifacts, graphics, and handwritten text. You will know something about every topic, but guaranteed, unless you are an expert is something specific, you won’t know all that she included. Who knew that Chavez wasn’t the strongest voice in the farmworker strike, that the chemicals from Love Canal made another neighborhood sick, or that Harriet Tubman commandeered a ship saving hundreds in one fell swoop?

I loved this book and can’t wait to come up with a list of questions I want answered on my second read. Google, here I come. Please be ready.

[Caylie Ratzlaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 5/5 stars.

I think more history books need to be told in this visual medium. This was not only stunning, but it really added to the depths of the stories told through the images and collages made from primary sources. I appreciated how this wasn't necessarily a history textbook, nor was it really a chronological history book; it tells different events in American history, and it really focuses on some unknown stories. The bibliography in the back also makes me want to go down a rabbit hole.

It was truly phenomenal, and I'm excited to see how it looks in print versus the eARC/PDF I read. I think this is not only an important read for the stories it told, but I think it opens up new ways to share history and tell stories. I'm super excited to recommend this to my students and to add it to my classroom library.

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this visually stunning and informative history book. Aberg-Riger shares some of the stories that are typically left out of textbooks and organizes the information thematically instead of chronologically. Chapter themes include "The Good Ole Days,” "A Nation of Immigrants," and "Made in America." The author uses minimal text on each page and accompanies it with archival photos, images, collages, poems, and handwritten notes. Aberg-Riger connects well-known stories with lesser-known truths, highlighting the impact of historical events on marginalized communities. She ties everything together by highlighting ongoing issues in America. It was both educational and entertaining, a history book and a work of art. An essential resource to encourage a more nuanced understanding and discussion of American identity.

[Kelsey Dangelo-Worth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would work well with Joy Hakim’s Story of Us series for middle to high school students, and maybe as a precursor to Howard Zinn’s People’s History. This book is not a textbook, but would be interesting for students of history, as a connection to deeper and further reading.
Two things that struck me about the book were how it describes history as not being linear, as being like a labyrinth, cyclical rather than a progression. I think that’s a brilliant way to think of history, philosophically. There’s a lot of problems and frustrations with thinking of history as good vs. bad, good always winning, and moving toward progress.
The second thing is how full of hope this book is. I think that’s particularly important for young people, to know how groups of people in the past (and not just marble men) were able to make change and work together to build it and solve problems.

[anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. This should be in EVERY school library and history classroom. I saw this on the shelf at my local library… and I thought I would give it a shot. I love history, especially the history no one can see or understand through a textbook. And…this book is everything!!!! Not only does it uplift marginalized groups (including LGBTQ+ / happy pride month!!), but it taught me so many wonderful (and not so wonderful) people and events and things I have never heard about before. I was never once bored or tired of hearing what the book was trying to teach. It was wonderfully done. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!!

To be honest…. I looked and tried to find out if this book was banned in Florida… because it honestly shines light the troubling history of the United States that is often overlooked today. I’m pretty sure everything in this book is frowned upon there.😉

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-read for a down and dirty overview of many events in American history told in a visual storytelling format where there are lots of images and smaller blocks of text that make this more accessible to readers. Because of this format, AMERICA REDUX doesn’t read like your typical nonfiction book. But beware, many of the chapters will (and should), make you incredibly mad.

While chapters flow one to another, this isn’t an entirely chronological recounting of historical events… which I thinks works in its favor. Though I am surprised at some topics and events that are missing that I was expecting to find covered.

Hopefully this will encourage teens (and adults) to go further in educating themselves in learning actual history and not accepting the whitewashed version that has been taught in schools.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly important view of an America most of us (old white guys) never learn or hear about, via well made collage art and a strong narrative voice. Highly recommend. Great to pair with other must-read American histories like The 1619 Project and Indigenous Continent (by Hämäläinen). I’d argue America Redux is much more accessible and fun, and certainly a faster read. The images and text will make you want to dig deeper into all of the stories covered here. Finally: It’s inspiring in all the right ways, reminding us it’s not only important to read history and to make art, but to also VOTE every chance you get.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could, I would give this book 10 stars!

What a fantastic collaboration of Bite-sized pieces of information which lead to further investigation and artistic talent as well as fantastic use of Public Domain images!  Great starting point for research on many topics teens wouldn’t have normally thought of.   (Examples - COVID mail in ballots boost disabled voter turn out 6% points, Harding and  immigration, sterilization of women, eugenics, toxic waste around Niagara Falls, etc.) Fascinating and emotionally disgusting information that will shock the reader.  Many instances of the darker side of American History and those who worked hard to make changes.  Excellent use of public domain images, citing sources, and very good bibliography.