On June 4th, 2024, You Must Take Part in Revolution by Melissa Chan and Badiucao will be published by Street Noise Books. Today at The Beat, you can get your first look at the cover, and watch a video introduction to the graphic novel by the authors.
You Must Take Part in Revolution
Here’s the description of the book from the publisher:
“From acclaimed journalist Melissa Chan and esteemed activist artist Badiucao comes a near-future graphic novel dystopia that explores technology, authoritarian government, and the lengths that one will go to in the fight for freedom.
“Three idealistic youths, forever transformed by the real-world protests in Hong Kong in 2019, develop diverging beliefs about how to best fight against techno-authoritarian China. As conflict escalates and a nuclear disaster looms, is working with an increasingly fascist and non-democratic United States the answer? Andy, Maggie, and Olivia travel different paths toward transformative change, each confronting to what extent they will fight for freedom, and who they will become in doing so.
“A powerful and important book about global totalitarian futures, and the costs of resistance.”
And here are the authors’ bios:
“Badiucao is a Chinese Australian artist, activist, and political provocateur. One of the most popular and prolific artists from China, he confronts a variety of social and political issues in his work, often using satire to tackle censorship, authoritarianism, and capitalism. For years, he operated anonymously and was dubbed “China’s Banksy.” He has exhibited in the US, Australia, and throughout Europe. He has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Time, CNN, NBC, and others. The New York Times and CBS News’s 60 Minutes profiled him. In 2020, Badiucao won the Human Rights Foundation’s Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Badiucao currently lives in exile in Australia. This is his debut graphic novel.”
“Melissa Chan is an Emmy-nominated Hong Kong and Taiwanese American foreign correspondent based between Los Angeles and Berlin. She was previously posted in China until she became the first journalist in more than a decade to be expelled by the Chinese authorities in 2012. She has written for The New York Times where she was nominated for a Loeb Award—business journalism’s highest honor—and The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, The Guardian, and more. She appears regularly on VICE News Tonight and Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines. Melissa received a B.A. in history at Yale University and a M.S. in comparative politics at the London School of Economics. This is her debut graphic novel.”
And Liz Frances, Street Noise Publisher and Founder, had this to say about You Must Take Part in Revolution:
“You Must Take Part in Revolution is a book that gets my heart racing! The story is incredible and the art is truly spectacular! It embodies the Street Noise mission to publish books that are unapologetic, authentic, and politically relevant. This is a powerfully cautionary tale that is very much rooted in the present moment, and which the world absolutely needs to hear, as we hurtle with astounding speed toward authoritarian governments and global fascism.”
Arriving in June 2024
Here’s what the authors have to say about the book:
Will you be picking up a copy of You Must Take Part in Revolution? What do you think of the cover, revealed below? The Beat wants to hear from you! Give us a shout-out in the comment section and let us know what you’re thinking.
