A New York Times-bestselling graphic novel based on the true story of two families–one white and one black–who find common ground as the civil rights struggle heats up in Texas.
This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston’s color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
The Silence of Our Friends follows events through the point of view of young Mark Long, whose father is a reporter covering the story. Semi-fictionalized, this story has its roots solidly in very real events. With art from the brilliant Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole) bringing the tale to heart-wrenching life, The Silence of Our Friends is a new and important entry in the body of civil rights literature.
I can see how this could have led to Powell working on March. There’s tension here throughout the story, as well as humanizing details.
This does a pretty good job transforming real life into a narrative story. There were a few parts I wasn’t clear why they belonged, like the blind daughter learning a braille typewriter.
