Thank you NetGalley and Gallery books for the E-Arc

Wow, what a ride. I was not expecting this to be so full of heart and humor. This book was a history lesson not taught in American public schools, but also reminded us readers that it's our job to learn what we do not know. It was equal parts magical realism and historical fiction but read as being completely plausible in our current world.

BTDQ wove a story that engaged the readers from the start and put us in the seat of the protagonist. Even if the reader isn't battling coming out themselves, the message in the story and coming of age was relatable to anyone having to reconcile ourselves with the point of view of others.

This is such an important book.

A wild premise for sure- Harriet Tubman is among the many other historical figures returning from the dead to modern day, and she wants to tell her story through a rap album produced by our protagonist.

This book is a masterpiece that blends historical story telling of Tubman’s life and legacy, along with our protagonist’s own search for freedom in his queerness- all in about 100 pages. While the plot may be strange at first, I think it serves as a great vessel to show the fight for freedom continues to live on in each generation in new and different ways. Also, this story does an incredible job at showing the intersectionality of black queer history and I love any opportunity to learn more about William Dorsey Swann.

My only complaint about this book is that I wanted it to be longer, and I wanted more. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, specifically black queer history, and something that’s inspiring, funny at times, and devastating. I can’t wait to read everything Bob writes, and I’m excited for their future in fiction❤️

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC!

Love the idea, love Bob the Drag Queen, I think I love the message to the extent that I understand it, wanted to love this book.

2.5 stars

I know you're supposed to start these reviews with a summary, but part of this book is that it was simultaneously was oddly light on plot and didactic that I can't confidently explain what it was. The basic conceit is that Harriett Tubman and some other figures from her past are in the modern day, She is a musician and she is trying to get to a performance. The contemporary main character is a kind of bland seeming contemporary guy with a secret. Knowing the author and the lack of subtlety it's pretty clear it has something to do with his sexuality.

The best parts of this book are the moments where one of the historical characters combines their stories with some kind of humor related to their experience in one or the other of the time periods we're encountering. Unfortunately, much of the book is "tell, don't show" historical context or confusing asides that make it hard to hang on to the central thread.

I kept taking breaks while I was reading this book and hoping that I was just not in the right headspace for it, but ultimately I don't think it was quite for me. I'd love to read BTDQ's writing in partnership with another author where they provide the character and humor and the other writer gives structure, but this book didn't give me the structure that I needed to feel connected to it.

Thank you to Gallery Books for the ARC for an unbiased review.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC REVIEW

It was an honor to read Bob the Drag Queen’s debut novel as an ARC! I enjoyed the story Bob told through Darnell, a Black, gay, music producer, and Harriet Tubman, who is perhaps the most inspiring woman in American history.

This book was full of funny quips and serious moments which have you laughing one second and crying the next. I loved learning about Harriet Tubman in a way we don’t in school, and I will say this book has already inspired me to learn and research more about her life.

The thought of all of these historical figures coming back to life in this wild and crazy 21st century is amusing. I would genuinely read a collection of novellas by Bob the Drag Queen featuring all different historical figures in this universe.

My only critiques are that I would have loved a little more backstory — perhaps a deeper dive into the universe (why are these people coming back?) and Darnell, also. He’s a compelling character that has the opportunity to be deeper and richer, and create more of an emotional connection to readers, with perhaps a little more backstory.

I adored Harriet’s depiction in this book. I thought she was portrayed so eloquently and true to character.

This debut novel has an intriguing premise, and it effectively allows first-time author, long-time diva Bob the Drag Queen to teach the children (me, I am the children) about crucial abolitionist history and figures in a really clever way. BRB, going down a rabbit hole to learn everything I can about William Dorsey Swann.

The personal voice is on point, by that's no surprise coming from Bob.
There were some sentences that felt repetitive to the one right before, providing the same information just worded differently, and in that sense I think it could have used a little more editing.
I found the writing a bit clunky at times, but then I'd get hit with a banger of a sentence, so there is strong authentic voice that maybe just needs honing.

I could see this being adapted for the stage, and I think it should be!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert is a wildly imaginative and deeply moving debut novel from Bob the Drag Queen. Blending magical realism, historical fiction, and contemporary music culture, the book introduces a premise as bold as its author: Harriet Tubman and a group of historical figures return to the modern world—not as ghosts, but as living, breathing people—ready to share their stories and, in Tubman’s case, record an album.

At the heart of the novel is Darnell Williams, a once-successful music producer who has been struggling both professionally and personally. When Harriet Tubman herself taps him to produce her album, he approaches the opportunity with a mix of awe, fear, and skepticism. As he works with Tubman’s band, each member shares their history in ways that feel like rediscovering a past we should already know but somehow forgot. Bob the Drag Queen weaves historical truths seamlessly into the narrative, including lesser-known facts like Tubman’s likely narcolepsy, making the novel feel as much like a history lesson as it does a work of fiction.

What makes this book stand out is its refusal to over-explain the supernatural elements. There’s no scientific or mystical reasoning behind why these figures are alive again—because that’s not the point. The real focus is how they navigate the modern world, how their stories still resonate, and how Darnell, as a Black gay man in the music industry, finds unexpected parallels between his own struggles and the past.

The novel is at times humorous, at times painful, and always compelling. If there’s one shortcoming, it’s that Darnell’s personal journey feels slightly underdeveloped by the end. However, the book’s exploration of religious trauma, identity, and legacy ensures his story remains meaningful.

Bold, thought-provoking, and deeply entertaining, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert is a must-read for lovers of historical fiction, music, and stories that challenge the way we think about the past and present. It’s a novel that deserves to be talked about—whether in a book club, a history class, or over drinks with friends.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this debut novel by the widely beloved Bob The Drag Queen, I am displeased to report that I was sorely disappointed by the actual product. It is necessary to enter this book with an open mind due to its unique, creative, and even absurd premise, so I made sure to go in with limited expectations. Unfortunately, I was immediately taken aback by the rudimentary, repetitive writing style. The idea of “show, don’t tell” is quite popular in the writing world, but Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert did nothing but tell. The main character, Darnell, narrated his every thought and explained every piece of “subtext” to a point that was difficult to read. Not only that, but there was a major overuse of ellipses in places they were not necessary, which could just be Bob The Drag Queen’s writing style, but nothing was there to make sense of them.
Additionally, none of the characters are particularly likable. They are all written as the same shell with a few personality traits added and taken to the extreme. The way this is done is damaging to the image of such important historical figures as Harriet Tubman. “Likability” is, of course, subjective, but when analyzing these characters through a critical lens I can find very little, if anything, that makes them strong, independent characters from one another.
I often found myself wondering if this book was satire due to the intense lack of context and the caricatures that were being made of historical figures. It was never explained why Harriet Tubman and Co came back from the dead, or how, or how long ago. Darnell’s trauma was poorly explained and used as an excuse for his extreme ignorance toward racism and the history of slavery, despite being Black himself. None of the pieces of this fragmented, jumpy story make sense together.
I also disliked how narcolepsy was portrayed. There was clearly no research done into the reality of the condition and seemed like just another plot device.
While my review is rather negative, I do appreciate the creativity behind the idea for the book and think it had a lot of potential. I thank NetGalley for the access to this ARC and the ability to read and review it!

This was one of the most unique concepts I've ever read. There is a lot I really loved about this novel, starting from the concept itself. The idea of throwing Harriet Tubman and other historical figures into the present without any explanation other than recognizing that it was a bizarre global phenomenon strangely worked. I thought I would want to know more about the background of this occurrence, but I really like the author's decision to acknowledge that it happened without taking time to focus on why. This allowed the exposition to focus on developing the characters and their relationships, which was my favorite part of the novel. Bob did an excellent job establishing the characters' voices and crafting their interactions. I felt like I actually know these characters and loved seeing their banter. At the same time, I think that the plot and pacing could have been better developed. While I loved the exposition and character development, I found myself wondering when the plot was actually going to get for about half the book, and once the plot started, I was surprised that it focused more on the narrator, rather than Harriet Tubman herself. In the end, the final reveal made the plot feel satisfying and complete; however, the last third of the book moved very quickly to get to this point. Even still, I would definitely recommend this book to others. Bob the Drag Queen did an excellent job creating a debut novel that feels fun and lighthearted while still educating about Black history and abolitionists and exploring personal identity and sexuality.

If I am being honest, when I first saw that Bob The Drag Queen wrote a book called Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, I assumed it was a memoir with a funny title. Little did I know that this would be a magical realism absurdist fiction novel about Harriet Tubman (and others) returning from the past to record an album about her life story.

This is more of a novella than a novel, (I read it in about 3 hours) but I appreciate the specificity of the narrative, as it is sometimes easy for a debut novel to become too broad and miss the mark. The prose is infused with Bob’s sense humor, which is so specific to him, and I felt right at home while reading.

Regrettably, like Darnell, the main character, I was also ignorant of the accurate history surrounding Harriet Tubman and the abolitionist movement. But I am grateful to have learned this history through an approachable lens.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read, and I will definitely be giving it a reread once the audiobook is out. I would recommend this to fans of Bob, history nerds, or anyone who loves a weird little book.

I've been a huge fan of Bob the Drag Queen for a long time, so I was beyond excited when I saw this book was coming out—especially when I was granted the ARC through NetGalley! I always love a good magical realism story, but this one didn’t quite connect with me the way I had hoped. While I admired the creativity, I found some parts a bit hard to follow and felt there was a lot of repetitive language. I truly wanted to love it, and it makes me sad that it didn’t fully work for me, but I still appreciate Bob’s unique voice and vision.

This book was such a fun read! It combines a magical realism touch with historical figures, including Harriet Tubman, reappearing to give a concert with a more personal story of Darnell Williams, a hip-hop musician who was outed as a gay man and his personal struggle with identity as a gay, Black musician in contemporary America. I learned a lot more than I expected about history from this book, and Darnell’s journey throughout the book was so emotional at times that it was painful, but in a good way. I highly recommend this book.

A strong debut, this book is both hilarious and educational. It's like the best kinds of educational programming, but for sad gay adults, and I love that. The writing is accessible, but strong, and I'm so excited to see what Bob the Drag Queen puts out next!

A number of historical figures have magically returned, and one of them is Harriet Tubman. She wants to spread her message to the people of the 21st Century, so she enlists Darnell, a struggling music producer, to help her make a rap album with her group Harriet Tubman and the Freemans.

I have never read anything like this before. It was full of black and queer history that Harriet and the Freemans share with Darnell as they are making the album and getting to know each other. Darnell’s journey in reconciling the complexity of his identity as a gay black man adds another layer to the novel. Plus, there are some great rhymes. I haven’t listened to the audiobook, but I’m interested to hear how they perform the songs in the audiobook. This was a short and fun novel. It was educational, humorous and inspiring. I’m so glad Bob the Drag Queen came up with such a cool and original idea. It was such a fun way of learning black history. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Bob the Drag Queen’s fiction debut is a fascinating and compelling read. The premise is wild— Harriet Tubman and other historical figures, including her band of freed people and abolitionists, have come back to life in the present. There is no attempt to explain why or how this has happened, and the narrative is the better for it. It’s not about the why or how, it’s about them finding their place in the present and telling their past stories to the public and more specifically to our protagonist. Darnell is a music producer who had some commercial success 15 years ago and none since; he’s been personally tapped by Harriet Tubman to produce her album and approaches the job with awe and trepidation as he learns the band members’ different stories.

The book really reads like a history lesson you forgot wrapped in a fictional narrative, and we learn/relearn so much along with Darnell. I love also that BDQ included some lesser-known information, like that Harriet Tubman very likely had narcolepsy. I wish they had put it out in time for Black History month, that seems like it was a missed opportunity. My one quibble would be that Darnell’s personal plot seemed a little unfulfilled, but I appreciated the difficult elements tackled, both his religious trauma and being a gay black man in the music industry.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book to review.

This book is so hard to put down - I read it in essentially one sitting (had to make a quick snack break, but other than that...). Some of the messaging feels a touch heavy-handed, but I still absolutely loved the characters and the slight magical realism element to it that is never fully explained. There's plenty of humor, some tragedy, and some fantastic history all wrapped up into one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Like many others, I've been a fan of Bob the Drag Queen's work for years now, and when I saw that he was publishing his debut novel, I couldn't add it to my TBR fast enough. I've essentially been counting down the days until I was able to dig into this book, and I enjoyed my time with it! It had many trademark Bob qualities- it's laugh-out-loud funny, filled to the brim with witty one-liners and clever lyricism, and has a unique premise to boot. It also gives us an introduction and flowers to historical Black figures we aren't as familiar with, which I really enjoyed.

While this is not the main focus of the novel, I found myself wishing there had been a bit more world building or explanation for how Harriet Tubman and her band, the Freemans, found themselves in present-day New York City. Additionally, I would have loved to know more about Darnell, the main protagonist and narrator of the novel. It isn't until Part 2 that we get to the main crux of his story, and I believe that it would have been useful to the reader to get a little more context early on.

Overall, I think this novel was funny, uplifting, and will be greatly enjoyed by new and established Bob the Drag Queen lovers alike. Bob's unique perspective and singular voice shine throughout this novel, as do the themes of freedom, authenticity, and Black history. I can't wait to see this book fly off the shelves, and eagerly await the release of the audiobook!

3.5 stars - This was delightfully voice-driven and very engaging throughout. I love that you could feel the author's passion to share the [purposefully] forgotten stories of resilience and ingenuity from enslaved Americans - that was where the book's energy was and it almost felt like interconnected short stories as we spent time with Minty's magically assembled collective. I could tell this was a debut in some parts of the writing, as some of the transitions and movement of action felt a little clunky. That said, BtDQ is an incredibly charismatic story teller IRL and you can feel their charm coming through in their authorial voice. A promising debut all around!

Harriet Tubman has returned to the modern day to tell her story through music. She recruits a band of four other historical figures and enlists Darnell Williams as their producer and songwriter. The story is told in Darnell’s point of view, a black gay man who suffered career-ending prejudice when he was outed on live TV years prior to meeting Harriet. Darnell is skeptical of his ability to do Harriet’s story justice, but she gives him no choice but to participate. Darnell interviews her and her band to gather material and inspiration for their album and finds that while he thought he was helping Harriet, she was actually helping him learn about black history, black queer history in particular, and free him from his traumas.

This work has a unique concept, strong characters, modern humor, and poignant lessons. I learned pieces of black history that I doubt I would find in the standard textbook. Part II was particularly well written, illustrating the fear and sense of loneliness black queer folk live with every day.

Parts I and III were disappointing for me. Beyond the past experiences of the characters, the plot was flat and the writing was repetitive. Repetitive writing is a great tool when used with intention, but it did not feel intentional in this case. Some parts were contradicting and confusing, like the number of slaves Harriet Tubman helped to freedom (300 at one point, 700 a couple pages later). Additionally, I wish more time was put into world building and explaining how historical figures came back to life and what effect it had on the world.

I think this book has a lot of potential but I do think it could use one or two more passes with an editor. It is a great start to Bob the Drag Queen's writing career. I’m looking forward to more creative and unique works from him.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Harriette Tubman and a group of people she freed magically come back to life, they decide to tell their story through a rap album and a concert to accompany it. Enter Darnell Williams, a queer hip-hop producer whose career halted after being outed by a peer on live television. Together they create an album for the ages, and manage to confront their past traumas while doing it.

3.5 stars

This is exactly the sort of creative, out of the box concept I expect from Bob the Drag Queen. Bob brought his signature humor to this book, while also making it very educational. I think this could be a great conversations starter for book clubs, or even an educational tool for classrooms.

My only real issue with the book was it seemed to jump around a lot. There were times that it was a little hard to follow exactly where the story was going. However, I think this was an excellent debut that shows a lot of potential.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

I really loved the concept of this book. When I first heard about it, I knew I had to get my hands on this book. I had a fun time reading this book, but it left a little something to be desired. For the most part, this book involves Harriet Tubman spitting some truth and then the main character projecting all their insecurities onto former slaves. It just seemed very repetitive and nothing much really happened. I wish we had a stronger main character that really made things happen, but because they were a very passive character not much really ended up happening. The character of Harriet Tubman was written really well, and I really enjoyed how much black history was loaded into this book. I learned a lot, and it made me curious about what other black stories have been left unsung and unwritten that I could sink my teeth into next. Overall, I had a good time reading this. I think the writing could use a little work, but I see a lot of potential here.