Renegade Girls tells the story of Nell, a girl from Chicago who spends summers with her aunt and uncle in New York. This year, at 17, Nell is eligible to marry… and more importantly, she’s working as a reporter! The story explores life as a late-nineteenth-century “stunt girl”, an undercover reporter, alongside a sweet story of young love.
The bulk of the story deals with workers’ rights. Nell learns that her friend Lucia works in a dangerous factory. By going undercover as a new worker, she sees unsafe conditions for herself, including child labor and other exploitations. The book doesn’t treat Nell’s ignorance as a failing. Instead of asking, why didn’t you know, it sees her learn and asks, what will you do next? It’s an approach I appreciate, because a person never knows what she doesn’t know.
Throughout the story, Nell and Alice’s relationship develops steadily. If I had to summarize it in one word, I would call it cute. They talk over their values and encourage one another to take new risks, new steps. They meet and bond with one another’s friends. They ask shy, respectful permission and share cuddles and kisses. It’s a tale of first love, approached with all the tenderness such a tale deserves.
This is a gentle book. It’s cleaner and easier than history—as much historical as escapist. The safety can be reassuring. It can also be frustrating. This is completely a matter of taste, simply something to be aware of.
I listened to the audiobook adaptation of the graphic novel. Since a graphic novel is, by definition, a very visual medium, a good audiobook adaptation needs more than average. This one is like a radio play. It includes immersive sound effects and a cast of many readers. I liked the approach! Graphic novels are valid and completely count as reading, but they’re undeniably a different reading experience from traditional prose novels. I think audiobooks from graphic novels should carry the same expectation. This was a great example.
