Well written. A biography I hadn't heard before.

CW: many instances of rape (a necessary part of the story, but ... yeah... a lot of rape)

Phoolan Devi was a lower-caste girl/woman with few options and no power. Married off at 11 and raped by her husband, Phoolan teen years are a constant litany of degradation, torment and assault.

At 16, Phoolan is kidnapped by a group of bandits - dacoit; slowly but surely Phoolan finds her place and her power. Eventually heading her own gang, Devi devotes herself to righting the wrongs against girls/women and the poor by targetting with theft and violence the powerful men who feel they can do anything.

'Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen' with words and art by Claire Fauvel is the sad but true story of a modern woman who was abused by those around her and how she reacted.

As a child, Phoolan Devi was aware of the injustices in her village. When a neighbor cut down a tree, she wanted justice. At the age of only 11, she was married off to a man much older than her and raped. This was only the beginning of the degrading things that happened to her. Her response was to become a rebel fighter and fight back against the systems and people that let her down.

I was less familiar with this story, but I found it grim and sad. This is not a story for the faint of heart, and this book manages to convey the horrors well without resorting to being overly graphic. The art is a bit of a let down, but the story still shines through.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NBM Publishing, Papercutz, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

"What the others called crime... I called justice."

Phoolan Devi's a very strong woman, we follow her through her childhood until she's released from prison. There are many painful memories that honestly get worse after she got married, at age 11. (btw HUGE TW for rape, and any type of abuse you can think of )

This book made me feel so many things, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me love and admire Phoolan's story in a way that I was not expecting. And I will always cherish this beautiful story and especially Phoolan herself, she's my new superhero.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

An inspiring story about young Phoolan, who suffered terribly for the facts that she was born low caste and a woman, but who was able to overcome this with courage, defiance, and tenacity.

Definitely one to hand to female high schoolers who are despairing about the lack of justice we see in this world.

I do wish that Fauvel had included a pronunciation guide with the foreword (especially for "Phoolan"), and some of the Hindi (? I assume) words were italicized with definitions provided and others were not.

“In my village, it is said that when Kans the demon strikes a little girl at birth and kills her, that little girl floats up into the heavens and becomes thunder herself. Demons struck me down so I became the thunder for others.”

Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen is a non-fiction graphic novel by Claire Fauvel about a young woman that breaks from the cultured gender roles of tribal India. After protesting her arranged marriage to a much older man at the age of 11, Devi joins a group of bandits which allows her freedom from societal oppression as well as a means to carry out revenge on those that had wronged her. Ultimately becoming a rebel chief and then a representative in the Indian parliament, Devi used her influence to be a social justice voice for women and others without the ability to make a change.

I’m always here for a story about a woman that uses her inner strength to make a change for the world that she has been born into, and this graphic novel did not disappoint. Fauvel does a really good job characterizing Phoolan Devi in a way that is balanced despite her involvement in illegal activities in banditry. I liked that the story began with the release of Devi from her long prison sentence so that we as readers know that there is a happy ending even when things get shaky in the narrative.

Claire Fauvel’s art style was lovely and I really enjoyed the dramatic full spread illustrations that dotted the graphic novel. Both the people and the natural beauty of India were highlighted within the pages and the lettering was crisp and easy to read. Footnotes are provided for the reader when words require translation, which is helpful. At times, the story almost feels cinematic.

Phoolan Devi was an interesting person who did a lot for India, an India that I initially knew very little about, and I’m definitely glad I picked up this graphic novel to educate myself.

Thank you NetGalley, Papercutz, and NMB Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this piece.

[CW: rape, violence.]

I struggle to rate this graphic novel. It tells the life story of Phoolan Devi, in full and graphic detail. It shouldn't come as a surprise, but there are trigger warnings in here for rape and abuse. Phoolan was married of at the age of 11, and raped by her 30+ year old husband. And yes, you see this and it is heart wrenching. But she goes through so much more, and the way she manages to pick herself up and take fate in her own hands every time again is admirable. And it angers and saddens me that what she did was the only solution to her, and how common and recent her experiences are. This is an important and impactful story and for that alone I would give it a 5* rating.

But... the execution isn't great. Her actions are never questioned for one (I don't know if it is the author's place to do so, but I would have like to see something). The art in this isn't the best either. It has some beautiful spreads, but in other places there are some serious issues (especially with eyes) and overall it isn't anything special. The pacing is off in places and the writing/dialogue don't feel natural at all. 

 I am still very happy (if you can call this punch in the gut that) I read this, it is a story that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this.

Review to go up on my blog on 15-4

A sympathetic and strong look at the full life story of Phoolan Devi. It does a lot more than just portray her as the modern female mix of Che Guevara and Robin Hood that other tellings do, but instead covers her entire back story, including a surprisingly graphic portrayal of her being raped as a child bride. However, that raises issues – the design of the book is bound to attract young readers, with its bright colours, simplified text trying to be in her own young voice, and frankly bizarre times when she gets cats' pupils in her eyes, and this came with only the smallest of back-cover warnings suggesting the young should pass this by.

So we get a full gamut of abuse, from the caste system, and due to men being men (allegedly), and multiple times by rape. Rather naively it aims to adapt the autobiography Devi narrated, without questioning it, and rather naively it tries to present the whole thing without a counterpoint actually asking if she was in the right to do what she did. But I think I still enjoyed this – the narrative drive is powerful, the issues are conveyed very well, and it all looks good. There are some serious problems with eyes – some people don't even get given them, for one – but that is another minor flaw that can be glossed over with such strong storytelling.

Wow! What an excellent book! I am familiar with Phoolan Devi's story already, having seen Bandit Queen and read her autobiography. This book rejuvenated my interest and was a wonderfully faithful adaptation of Phoolan's own words. The art is excellent and I can't wait to recommend this to someone.

Phoolan devi was an enigma.I still remember the day when I first heard about her from my father.She was a novel character, a mystery.This book keeps the essence of her life and fives the story another life for people to read and cherish in upcoming times .Its a story about a vulnerable girl,a victim,a survivor,a lover and a woman full of rage.A woman can do anything and everything if she sets eyes on her purpose .A must read for everyone.

Thank you #NetGalley so much for this awesome graphic novel #PhoolanDeviRebelQueen

I am so glad I read this heartbreaking memoir of one of the strongest personalities in history ever. Maybe people might have different opinions and thoughts about such a personality being a notorious dacoit and that too being a woman (yes, discriminations still do exist as I am doing right now saying 'that too being a woman' as I had to emphasize!), there are a lot of things we do not know about the life of Phoolan Devi.

I heard a few things about her when I was a kid and I can still vividly remember adults whispering about her, keeping mum when we kids were around and didn't say anything when we kids asked about her. Talking about her was like a forbidden topic.
And when the movie based on her life came out, I still remember all that people including my classmates talked was how the movie featured some adult rated scenes and how the actress was completely naked on screen. Yes, that's the sad part. And so I wasn't much aware about the life of Phoolan Devi inspite of getting confused why she was celebrated and hated at the same time.
This graphic novel came to me as a blessing. It's so intense, graphic (yes, graphic for a graphic novel!), beautifully illustrated and one of the best story telling efforts I have ever come across!

The book will remain forever etched in my mind and I truly appreciate the efforts of the author and the artist for bringing out one of the best graphic novel memoir ever.