baylaurels's Reviews (304)

I decided to read this book both because I have been thoroughly enjoying Schreier's podcast, Triple Click, and in anticipation of his new book releasing this year. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is divided into 10 chapters, each following the story of an individual game leading up to it's release (or not) and detailing the trials and tribulations faced by those who worked on them. Told through interviews, a look at the media at the time of each game's production, and Schreier's own experience in the field, each chapter tells an engaging story that stands alone and fits into the bigger picture of the book, and the video game industry as a whole.

The only reason I am docking any stars is because I feel that the book could have covered more different types of games and types of voices - the author himself points out that almost all of the interviewees are male, and there is a pronounced overlap between the RPGs and big-budget SFF games covered in most chapters. However I did thoroughly enjoy this book and the peek provided behind the curtain of the video game industry, recommend it to anyone interested in video games, and greatly anticipate the author's follow-up companion book.

This was a good standalone graphic novel! The characters were fleshed out relatively well for the short length of this story, thanks in large part to the art that was a great fit for the youthful YA style of the book. I found Gar somewhat annoying, though in a true-to-age way as a teenage protagonist and think he has room for good character development in later volumes. I do think the plot was pretty simplistic, primarily as there is only so much you can do with an origin story. As someone who had minimal knowledge of Beast Boy/The Teen Titans prior to this, I was able to follow the plot with no issue, and am greatly anticipating the sequel, which can hopefully elevate the plot and give our characters some more exciting things to do.

Sarah Bradford wrote two biographies of Tubman, with this being the latter. Because Tubman could not read or write, she tasked Bradford with sharing her story, and is quoted in the text, which was published within her lifetime. This is the closest we have to Tubman's actual words, HOWEVER it has inaccuracies and is responsible for misinformation that was repeated in future works.

Bradford's texts popularized a number of misconceptions about Tubman and the Underground Railroad such as the inaccurate number of a supposed 19 trips rescuing 300 people (in fact it was likely closer to 13 trips and 70 people), Tubman's birth year, and the fabrication of a $40k reward for her capture. It also contains uncensored usage of the N-word, depending on the edition you read. Do not take it as strictly fact, but it is an important part of the literary heritage of Tubman, and source of some information in later works.

I do recommend reading if you are trying to have a comprehensive understanding of Tubman, if you enjoy reading primary sources, or if you're writing an essay, but for the casual reader there are modern biographies that are much better. No star rating, as I recognize it's historical value, but take issue with enough aspects to not really want to give a blanket rating sans caveats.