Some books need warning labels. Especially history books. Heck, history needs a warning label! Heck, this entire world needs one! It should read something like: Fallen World. Danger, Difficulty, Death.
For all these reasons, the brilliant graphic artist Nathan Hale puts warning labels on the the brilliant historical books he produces for children. The labels are tailored to each individual story. For example:
Note the delightfully specific terrors promised, such as “underwater toilets” and “Swedish swearing.” (And yes, the book delivers those very things. It makes sense in context. So does the bomb on a stick.)
Besides the horrors and heroics that we all know her life contained, we get “supernatural visions” (Harriet’s and, before her, Nat Turner’s); “massacre” (led by Nat Turner); “muskrat trapping” (more of a hardship than it sounds); and, of course the “drugged babies” are so that the escapees would not be caught.
Now, I write fiction, and it’s pretty dramatic and everything, but nothing I or anyone else will write can compare to the drama and poignancy of Harriet Tubman’s life.
With that disclaimer, here — and you can tell that I worked really hard on this — is a warning label of my own, done in the style of graphic artist Nathan Hale, applied to my book The Long Guest.
In the comments, please post a goofy warning label of your own about your own book or a favorite book.
Interesting idea. Some of my readers suggest things like “Warning, do not start this book at bed time. Will cost you hours of sleep.” For my first book.
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Ah, that’s the best warning!
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Enjoying your first book, The Long Guest, Jennifer!! I’m going to recommend it highly to all of my bookworm friends! 😀
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That is fabulous, thank you so much! They can still get it in time for Christmas!
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Here is mine, albeit a subtle warning, which not payed close attention to, could bite when you aren’t looking, haha:
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Hey, there’s a bite out of it!
*uncomfortable pause*
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Dang books. . .have a mind of their own! 🤣
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For Paradise Lost:
Hazard Level: Cosmic
Demons, Hell, Pandemonium, rape, warfare, giants,
Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death,
Satan in despair, existential dread, mountains used as projectiles,
Parasitic dogs, shapeshifting, Fall of Humanity, eternal punishment,
Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire.
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Well, you have convinced me to read it!
I especially like the list of assorted geographical features.
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That’s a direct quote. I almost just quoted the whole passage as the warning. 😀
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“Hazard level: Cosmic”
“existential dread”
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