Lynette Richards

An interesting bit of historical fiction in which the author tries to imagine the personal life of a sailor named Bill who was found after their death to have been assigned female at birth. The twentysomething Bill who died in the SS Atlantic shipwreck -- which took over 500 lives in 1873 -- is tied to another sailor named Bill who was revealed and reported on a short while earlier as a teenage runaway born Margaret "Maggie" Armstrong. There is no direct proof that the two Bills were indeed the same person, but the book makes the most of the conjecture, giving almost poetic rationale involving selkies as to why the conflated Bill first took to sea and may have been drawn back to their untimely death.

The writing and drawing were adequate, but I found myself more interested in the firsthand accounts occasionally reprinted in the story and found myself doing some internet research after finishing the book to get a better understanding of how the shipwreck occurred and played out since the details in the graphic novel are a bit vague and sketchy.… (mere)

Call Me Bill is a creative nonfiction graphic novel about Maggie/Bill, a young person who died tragically in a shipwreck after spending part of their life as a sailor. This short volume packs a punch with gray watercolor art that evokes the feeling of being at sea and a historical story that will be new and important to many readers.

I'm grateful that Richards recognized the significance in this story and felt inspired to share it with us. My only wish is that we had more surviving information about Maggie/Bill for a longer graphic novel!

Thank you to Emanata and Edelweiss for providing a copy for review.… (mere)