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OLDER FICTION
Xavier, Clément

The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Woman's Suffrage, and Jujitsu

136 pp. | Lerner/Graphic Universe | August, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9781728445656 $30.65 | Paper ISBN 9798765607473 $17.99
(2) YA Translated by Edward Gauvin. Illustrated by Lisa Lugrin. Color by Albertine Ralenti. This immersive comic introduces readers to the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), a radical group of real-life early-twentieth-century English feminists led by Emmeline Pankhurst. Needing to mitigate the physical harm faced by members, the militant activists of WSPU coordinated a self-defense and security unit and recruited jujitsu expert Edith Garrud to train them. Garrud's life and perspective ground the absorbing, dialogue-heavy, and fast-paced fictionalized narrative as "jujitsuffragettes" learn, strategize, build solidarity, and engage in aggressive direct action together ("Deeds, not words!"). Embedded primary sources such as political cartoons and black-and-white newspaper images pull the facts and narrative together with striking, powerful clarity. The cartooning, beautifully rendered in muted, old-timey hues, presents information about jujitsu, the inner workings and tensions of the WSPU, and everyday indignities faced by the subjects. Frenetic sound effect and motion lines accentuate setting and mood. While enduring themes such as resisting oppression and asserting autonomy abound, the book remains centered on its specific time, place, and people. Pair with Chambers's Finish the Fight! and Dionne's Lifting as We Climb (both rev. 9/20) for perspectives from suffragists of color and broader coverage of gender justice. Back matter includes a timeline, citations, and additional historical information.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

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