book thoughts: Rick Geary's Non-Fiction Graphic Novels

So, did text books pretty much ruin history for you?  All those boring pages and pages of names and dates, with the same old bits repeated year after year (found American, Revolt, Repeat) until you got out of high school?  Well, what if those history lessons had a bit more intrigue to them? 

Rick Geary's Graphic Novels are devoid of superheroes or dream masters.  Instead, Geary uses his talents as a writer and as an artist to tell the stories from history.  His main series - Treasury of Victorian Murder - covers such classics as the Assasination of Abraham Lincoln, Jack the Ripper, The Lindbergh Kidnapping and Lizzie Borden. 


                                                                                Researched and readable, these books are great primers for
someone who wants an accessible version of the facts before diving into a 500 page book on the subject.  Part True-Crime novel and part history lesson, Geary's black and white ink drawings are simple enough in their style that readers unfamiliar with the graphic novel format shouldn't feel overwhelmed. 

I for one had no interest in reading about Jack the Ripper, but Geary's book (which uses the primary source of a London citizen's diary from the time to frame the story) was so easy to read, that I did find myself wondering about the mystery afterwards. 

So next time you're struggling to find a book, ask a librarian for one of Rick Geary's graphic novels.  You'll be able to finish the thing in one sitting and afterwards you'll have some extra bits of knowledge floating around in your brain.  And who knows, you might ignite a passion for history that you didn't even know you had.