Andy Hirsch

I generally like the books in the "History Comics" series, but this one rubs me the wrong way. In trying to keep the events fun and interesting for the intended audience of children, this one simplifies and brushes over some very complicated racial issues with the Chinese laborers who laid the track and the indigenous people who would rather it had never been laid at all. Worst of all, it makes the robber barons behind the enterprise into slightly mischievous rascals instead of the greedy, heartless bastards they were.

The author creates some avatars to represent the Chinese and Irish laborers and touches on their hardships, but some of the deadly dangers they face are played off with slapstick for the sake of a laugh.

I acknowledge that writing history nowadays can be arduous task to try to address the many issues of the many groups of people involved in it, and while this one gives it a pretty good try at times, I think it falls a little short.… (more)