Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio – Derf Backderf
Derf Backderf's "Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio" takes readers beyond the iconic photograph, offering a meticulously researched and haunting graphic novel about the events that occurred on May 4, 1970, between students at Kent State University and the Ohio National Guard.
Described as a “dramatic re-creation” it combines eyewitness accounts, official reports and media investigations into a streamlined exploration of the simmering tensions that led to the National Guard opening fire on unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War.
Interspersing personal perspectives — primarily a handful of students and National Guardsman — with national and state politics, it’s a macro and micro view of the powderkeg that was the late-1960s and early 1970s in America. While sparks had flown elsewhere, in Kent it erupted.
The Vietnam War is having a bit of a literary resurgence as of late. Kristin Hannah’s "The Women" offers a fictional perspective on soldiers returning to a hostile nation. "Kent State" presents the anti-war counterpoint, emphasizing that the threats to American democracy were both domestic and foreign-born.
Both novels benefit from hindsight. Today, we understand the human toll on soldiers following orders in a rigid system. We also know Richard Nixon wasn't just corrupt, but actively exploited social unrest for personal gain.
But "Kent State" and "The Women" excel in another way: they remind us of the humanity lost during this era, a loss that continues to resonate today. They expose the seeds of discontent that have infected every ideological debate since — the "us vs. them" mentality.
How Backderf approached this is ultimately the strength of “Kent State.” Even 50 years later, the events of May 4th are unresolved. What we know is this: students and soldiers weren't reacting to a single incident, but to a cascade of violence — days and weeks of escalating unrest in Ohio and across American cities.
Exhausted National Guardsmen faced a seemingly endless cycle of protest. The majority of students — 20,000 strong — were essentially forced into a Republican-imposed police state by a radical, violent minority. Nearly every aspect of this situation was mishandled, and the ultimate injustice — beyond death and injury — is that no one was held accountable.
The gut punch arrives when we realize many of Backderf's characters are the students who died. These reveals are sparse, sudden and utterly disorienting. They left me numb, essentially mirroring the students' experience. While this gives a slant to what’s presented, I can’t say it isn’t the right one.
Read "Kent State" not just for its accessible history lesson on an overshadowed event, but for Backderf's masterful storytelling. He's an artist unafraid to ask tough questions, and this graphic novel renews demand for answers we still haven't received.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Format: eBook (personal library)
Dates read: March 17 – March 22, 2024
Multi-tasking: N/A
