Great information, a bit overwhelming all in one place, and a good amount of preaching to the choir. Not sure how much the comic format adds to the presentation, although it will certainly expose it to a new audience.

In an interview with George O’Connor, he mentioned his next project was not the final Olympians, but this book. Having enjoyed his work on Olympians, I decided to check it out. It wasn’t at all what I expected, but it is something everyone should read.

Most American agree that there is something wrong with our democracy. It works for the powerful and wealthy but not for the rest of us. How did it come to this? Our country is so divided now, that just saying “liberial” or “conservative” can send people into tirades. Unrig is a non-partisan look at our broken democracy. It exposes the twisted roots that started our democracy down this path as well as highlighting the people who are working to unrig the system as return power to where it belongs; to the people.

Unrig is narrated by Daniel Newman, a democracy reform leader and the founder of Maplight.org, a non-profit, non-partisan group that tracks political donations and voting patterns. He speaks in a conversational tone, explaining both the historical roots of things like voting rights and redistricting, as well as changes that have occurred in the last 30 years that have affected us the most. He covers several topics from campaign funding, lobbyists, voting rights and suppression, to dark money, the thing that funds and influences all these other issues.

But this book isn’t all doom and gloom. It does seem to get dark as some of the topics are exposed, but there are rays of light as well. For all of the topics, Newman has stories of ordinary people taking extraordinary steps to counter the rigging that has been going on. These success stories are filled with hope that things don’t have to stay as they are; that we can bring about change. Changing campaign funding, restoring voting rights, and fighting for transparency in money gifts to universities.

George O’Connor illustrates the book, emphasizing Newman’s conversational tone, as well as adding some humor to some of these humorless topics. The art is dominated by shades of blue and white with color used sparingly to punctate points being made, such as money being green, and Newman’s speech balloons being a darker yellow.

Unrig is the first book in a series called World Citizen Comics that are meant to inform and empower readers to make the change they want. And this book does that. Reading it made me angry, depressed and finally hopeful that things can change. Just in the people around me, I heard how they don’t want to vote because nothing changes; that things aren’t going to change. Unrig is the book to counter these claims. It shows us that real change is possible when we stand together and make the effort.

Unrig is a nonfiction graphic novel that provides a step-by-step plan for people to get involved in our system of laws, voting, and governmental action. Told with engaging pictures and the immediacy of the 2nd person voice, this book would be a perfect for a young or old activist trying to find their way into progressive politics or as a supplemental textbook for a high school government class. I have actually already told my Social Studies colleagues about it!

With chapters entitled Unrigging the Rules, The Wealth Hoarders, and Drawing the Districts, Newman jumps right into the heart of political gridlock and Washington influencers. Using a number of credible sources including interviews with individuals and excerpts from well-known books, the author provides a wealth of support for his positions. From campaign trail to the supreme court, it is evident after reading this book that money moves things in politics and the author provides several solutions to getting the most people involved in decision making as possible regardless of individual wealth.

I went on Newman’s website to find out a little more about him and found this link that will take you to an excerpt from the book. It’s really good to have a preview of the both the art style and the organization of the book. Go ahead and check it out!

I did find the pages a bit packed at times… as if he was worried about getting it all in. But at the same time, it is just this information that a person will need if they want to enact any lasting change. The wave of change that is sweeping our nation will only be able to be sustained if activists look to long-term solutions like the ones found in this book. Kuddos to Misters Newman and O’Connor!

Link to book website here.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, First Second Books, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

An excellent addition to all adult and teen nonfiction collections. Especially important in 2020. I can't wait to have this on my shelves.

Unrig is a deeply important and informing read during this especially tumultuous political time. I came away from the text feeling like a more informed citizen and voter with actionable items to work on. The graphic novel format makes these political times more accessible to more readers. Recommend for every library collection.

Understanding how and why our Democracy has become a complete mess is usually as easy as understanding complex astronomical physics. However, with this expertly done graphic novel, the author explains how money, prestige and power run America. During a time in which many Americans feel broken and have given up, this novel has the potential to rekindle the flame of hope that we may be able to fix it. An absolute must-read for anyone interested in politics, especially young people that can light the way to a better way.