First Man: Reimaging Matthew Henson

Reviewed by: Karen Sandlin Silverman - Scarborough High School / Scarborough Middle School, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 13, 2016

Review

CREAM A stunning graphic novel, First Man tells the story of Matthew Henson in a mashup of biography and fiction. Henson, an African-American, was part of Robert Peary's expedition that discovered the North Pole but as a black man, he did not receive credit for being first to the Pole until late in life. The Inuits were especially taken with Henson, calling him Mahri Pahluk; Schwartz was inspired by this to intersperse Inuit images throughout the book. The book includes an historical timeline and bibliography. Translated by Laura Watkinson.

Overall Book Score: excellent