You Must Take Part in Revolution
by Badiucao and Melissa Chan
PUBLICATION DATE: March 2025
6” X 9”
264 PAGES
TRADE PAPERBACK
ISBN: : 9781951491291
EBOOK ISBN:
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US $23.99
What People Are Saying
Starred Review from Library Journal, “It's unflinching portrayal of oppression and the vital necessity of maintaining idealism in the face of utter despair is as timely as it is deeply stirring.”
“With complicated characters struggling to maintain their humanity under the direst of circumstances, this morally complex, scarily resonant tale speaks to these uneasy times.” —Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling, heartbreaking graphic novel about the price of accepting—or fighting against—an oppressive government.”—Foreword Reviews
“This gripping dystopian narrative holds up a mirror to our present, asking urgent questions about surveillance, control, and the fragility of democracy. I sincerely hope it is not a future we are moving towards.” —Prof. Joel Christian Gill, author of Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America
“A tale that cuts to the heart of complicity, loyalty, trust, guilt, and hope. Powerful, complex, and angry, this book is a work of fiction that grapples with how much we are willing to destroy in order to defend what we believe.” —Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts
“This nuanced and engaging story is beautifully illustrated in wholly original style. It lights a match to illuminate a not-so-futuristic tale that will blow your mind.” —Peter Kuper, author of Ruins
“Gripping, troubling, and intensely moving, with startling and startlingly beautiful art, this book is a timeless fable of courage in the face of oppression, and a reflection of our present and an only too plausible future. This book should be widely read and understood.” —Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent
“This beautifully illustrated and poignant graphic novel delivers a message that is more important than ever that democracy is a precious thing, and once freedoms are lost it is difficult to get them back.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
“With complicated characters struggling to maintain their humanity under the direst of circumstances, this morally complex, scarily resonant tale speaks to these uneasy times.” —Publishers Weekly
“A thrilling, heartbreaking graphic novel about the price of accepting—or fighting against—an oppressive government.”—Foreword Reviews
“This gripping dystopian narrative holds up a mirror to our present, asking urgent questions about surveillance, control, and the fragility of democracy. I sincerely hope it is not a future we are moving towards.” —Prof. Joel Christian Gill, author of Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America
“A tale that cuts to the heart of complicity, loyalty, trust, guilt, and hope. Powerful, complex, and angry, this book is a work of fiction that grapples with how much we are willing to destroy in order to defend what we believe.” —Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts
“This nuanced and engaging story is beautifully illustrated in wholly original style. It lights a match to illuminate a not-so-futuristic tale that will blow your mind.” —Peter Kuper, author of Ruins
“Gripping, troubling, and intensely moving, with startling and startlingly beautiful art, this book is a timeless fable of courage in the face of oppression, and a reflection of our present and an only too plausible future. This book should be widely read and understood.” —Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent
“This beautifully illustrated and poignant graphic novel delivers a message that is more important than ever that democracy is a precious thing, and once freedoms are lost it is difficult to get them back.” —Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Synopsis
From Emmy-nominated journalist Melissa Chan and esteemed activist artist Badiucao comes a near-future dystopian graphic novel about technology, authoritarian government, and the lengths that one will go to in the fight for freedom.
It's 2035. The US and China are at war. America is a proto-fascist state. Taiwan is divided into two. As conflict escalates between nuclear powers, three idealistic youths who first met in Hong Kong develop diverging beliefs about how best to navigate this techno-authoritarian landscape. 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.
About the Author
Badiucao is a Chinese Australian artist, activist, and political provocateur. One of the most popular and prolific creatives from China, he confronts a variety of social and political issues in his work, often using satire to tackle censorship, authoritarianism, and capitalism. 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 reported for VICE News Tonight and Al Jazeera. This is her 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 reported for VICE News Tonight and Al Jazeera. This is her debut graphic novel.
