Review: 'Why She Wrote' by Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke, Illustrated by Kaley Bales

 I have stated my love for a good Coffee Table Book before. I have stated my love for beautifully illustrated books before. I have stated my love for female authors before. So is it really a surprise that I will now state my love for Why She Wrote and its authors and illustrator? It shouldn't be. Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 4/20/2021
Publisher: Chronicle Books

In Why She Wrote, dive into the fascinating, unexpected, and inspiring stories behind the greatest women writers in the English language.

This compelling graphic collection features 18 women—including Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Anne Lister, and more—and asks a simple question: in a time when being a woman writer often meant being undervalued, overlooked, or pigeonholed, why did she write?

Why did Jane Austen struggle to write for five years before her first novel was ever published? How did Edith Maude Eaton's writing change the narrative around Chinese immigrant workers in North America? Why did the Brontë sisters choose to write under male pennames, and Anne Lister write her personal diaries in code?

Learn about women writers from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, from familiar favorites to those who have undeservedly fallen into obscurity, and their often untold histories, including:

• The forgotten mother of the gothic genre

• The unexpected success of Little Women

• The diaries of the ""first modern lesbian""

• The lawsuit to protect Little Lord Fauntleroy

• The personal account of a mastectomy in 1811

• Austen's struggles with writer's block

• And much, much more!

Why She Wrote highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through engaging and accessible comics, along with biographical text, bibliographies, and fun facts. For aspiring writers, literary enthusiasts, and the Janeite who has everything, this new collection highlights these incredible women's hardships, their influence, and the spark that called them to write.

I wanted to make sure we got the whole blurb in there despite its strength for what it highlights and what it leaves a secret in its promise of 'much, much more'. Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and the Bronte sisters are always the first go to's when it comes to selling books like these. They are the benchmarks, seemingly, at this point. My real question, then, when going into Why She Wrote was whether Chapman and Burke would go beyond. I went in with relative faith, however, since their podcast, Bonnets at Dawn, has become a recent favourite. I knew Chapman and Burke could go above and beyond and I do believe they did. From famous suffragettes and abolitionist Alice Dunbar Nelson to Edith Maude Eaton (Sui Sin Far), the undercover, Asian-Canadian journalist who chronicled the struggles of the Asian-Canadian community against (institutional) racism. 

The book is split into six thematic chapters looking at 'The Horror of the Everyday', 'Finding Their Voice', 'Activism as Art', 'Private Lives', 'Public Identities' and 'Protection and Profit'. While I'm not going to spoil which three authors pop up in which chapter, some can probably be guessed. The chapters start with a general introduction of the authors and the theme, before splitting into separate mini-chapters. Each author gets their own introduction, after which there is a graphic representation of key moments in the author's life. These graphic stories run for quite a number of pages and I found myself utterly engrossed in them. The way the authors' works were woven into their own stories, how we saw their strength, their loss, and their dignity. What I also really liked about this division into thematic chapters is that just the overview of them shows you how important these female authors have been. These chapters show us that these women were struggling through everyday aggressions, trying to speak out, using their voices for progress and elevating it into art, finding the balance between their private and public lives, and using their own success to secure themselves and those that followed them. Especially the authors in the chapters on activism, protection and profit have had major impact on our current world and it is high time that this is acknowledged as well. We owe Beatrix Potter for more than "just" heart-warming children's stories!

Like I mentioned above, I was somewhat familiar with Chapman and Burke before Why She Wrote because of their podcast Bonnets at Dawn and I was aware they worked within the graphic novel/comics industry. I was intrigued to see how the shift between biographical material and graphic novel would work within Why She Wrote, if it would be too much of a tonal shift, but I found it very smooth. I really enjoyed Kaley Bales' style and the trio picked great moments to represent. They brought a lot of pathos to these women, who can feel like unapproachable giants when you focus only on the biographical information. There is a more human side to them in Why She Wrote, a side that allows you to see their doubts, fears, bravery, joy, losses and victories. Chapman and Burke bring their clear passion and love for these women to every single word and Why She Wrote is therefore a very joyful read. Whether you're already familiar with these female authors or if you're new to them, after Why She Wrote you will have a strong understanding of them and a deep appreciation.

I give this book...

5 Universes!

Why She Wrote, in many ways, was bound to be a book I adored. It has everything, from beautiful illustration to badass women, that a reader could ask for. It also highlights the work of these women that has been pushed aside in favour of an easier narrative and for that I am also grateful.