Robert Smalls Tales of the Talented Tenth, no. 3

"Joel Christian Gills shows how ordinary people fight for our collective liberation and whose stories are not often at the forefront of our historical consciousness.” —Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist

Do you know the story of the slave who sailed himself to freedom? For the third book in the bestselling Tales of the Talented Tenth series, Joel Christian Gill brings Robert Smalls to life by telling the true story of the enslaved African who pulled off one of the most daring and largest heists of the Civil War. Come along for the adventure as Robert earns a job working for the C.S.S. Planter, escapes to freedom, goes on to become a first-generation Black politician, and makes history by writing and leading the passage of legislation that led to the United States’ first free and compulsory public school system.

Tales of the Talented Tenth is a historical comic series that focuses on the adventures of amazing African Americans in action.

Joel Christian Gill is a cartoonist and historian who speaks nationally on the importance of sharing stories. He wrote the words and drew the pictures in Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride (published by Lion Forge, 2019) and the award-winning historical comic series Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, as well as, Tales of The Talented Tenth from Fulcrum Publishing. He has worked for diverse clients including the People’s United Party of Belize, NBC, The Boston Globe, and The Huffington Post. He was Chair of Comic Arts at The New Hampshire Institute of Art. He is currently Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Gill has dedicated his life to creating stories to build connections with readers through empathy, compassion, and ultimately humanity. He received his MFA from Boston University and his BA from Roanoke College.