If history is more your speed, try Julio Anta’s Sí Se Puede, about the underappreciated role that Latines have played throughout U.S. history; Marta Breen and Jenny Jordahl’s Smash the Patriarchy, about the many women who have risked it all to fight back against misogynistic individuals and systems around the world; or Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett’s Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present, the content of which should be self-explanatory.
Or maybe you want to learn more about political science and philosophy? In that case, the graphic adaptations of several well-received books might be just what you’re looking for. These include On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder’s perennially relevant book on how totalitarianism works; Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi’s exploration of how America was built on racism and how a racist future is not inevitable; or even The Art of War, Sun Tzu’s classic treatise on military strategy.
How about literature? There are countless graphic adaptations of classic novels to choose from, including Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and Natsume Sōseki’s Botchan, as well as the various books I covered back when I regularly compared prose novels to their graphic adaptations.
As you may imagine, the books listed above don’t even scratch the surface of the many educational comics currently available. No matter what you choose to learn about this summer, you can bet there’s a book out there with your name on it. And if you find a good one, I’d love to hear about it—feel free to share it over on Bluesky!