Amy Leigh Reads

In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say. Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way—by following in the footsteps of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Harriet wants to put on a show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her.

I have been a fan of Bob the Drag Queen for ages, so when I heard he’d written a book I knew I had to pick it up straight away. I’ll admit, historical fiction generally doesn’t excite me but Harriet Tubman back from the dead making a hip hop album kind of did it for me and honestly, it worked way better than I expected.

The story follows Darnell, a queer music producer who’s trying to figure himself out, and somehow ends up working with Harriet and her crew of Freemen to help tell the story of the Underground Railroad through music. It’s set in the present day, but there’s a lot of history packed in, some of it I knew, but a lot of it I didn’t. It never feels like a history lesson though. The way it’s written makes it easy to take in without it feeling heavy.

I liked that Darnell’s character actually had some depth. You really see him grow over the course of the story, especially around how he sees himself and where he fits. There’s a lot in here about identity, race and queerness that really makes you stop and think, but it’s still a fun read too.

The audiobook was definitely something special, with Bob narrating it themself. If you’re into Black queer stories, or even just want to read something original with a solid message, this one’s worth checking out!

⭐️5/5 stars a stunning debut by Bob the Drag Queen!