'Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert' by Bob the Drag Queen
- Reed
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Author: Bob the Drag Queen
Rating: A-
Vibe: Harriet Tubman is back from the dead and she's making a hip-hop album. It sounds ridiculous—and it kind of is—but Bob the Drag Queen makes it work through sheer force of voice and genuine reverence for his subject.
Here's the setup: historical figures have mysteriously returned to life, and Harriet Tubman is among them. She's got unfinished business. Not freeing enslaved people this time—that work is done—but continuing her mission of liberation in whatever form it takes. She assembles a band called the Freemans, made up of people she once led to freedom, and recruits Darnell Williams, a down-on-his-luck hip-hop producer. What follows is part history lesson, part comeback story, and entirely its own thing.
Yes, the premise is unusual. But here's the thing: it doesn't need explaining, and I'm glad Bob doesn't try. The book just drops you into this world where Harriet Tubman is making a hip-hop record and Cleopatra is apparently an Instagram model now, and you either roll with it or you don't. I rolled with it. The speculative conceit isn't the point—it's the vehicle, and it works beautifully.
What surprised me most was how much I learned. Bob weaves in the brutal realities of what enslaved people endured in ways that feel organic to the story rather than like a textbook. The historical detail is rich and often devastating, but it never feels overwrought. You're absorbing it because you're invested in these characters and their mission to tell this story through music.
Let me be clear about what this book isn't saying, because I think it's easy to misread. Bob isn't drawing some facile parallel between Harriet Tubman's work and the modern queer experience—he's not suggesting that coming out is equivalent to escaping slavery. What he's doing is showing Harriet as someone whose purpose was always liberation, and now she's still looking for people who need help finding their way. Darnell doesn't need to be freed from bondage. He needs a reboot—of his confidence, his career, his attitude, his entire sense of self. Harriet sees that, and she takes him on as her next mission. The message I took from this book is to learn from history and incorporate lessons of bravery, courage, and diligence into your own life.
Is this the most tightly written book you'll read this year? No. The prose is serviceable rather than stunning, and you can feel the seams where Harriet's historical narrative and Darnell's personal journey don't quite mesh seamlessly. But honestly? I didn't care. The book has something more important than pristine craft: it has a voice, a purpose, and a genuine point of view. Bob's humor makes what could be a heavy subject genuinely enjoyable to read. He finds the comedy without ever undercutting the weight of the history.
One more thing: try the audiobook. Bob narrates it himself, and he's fantastic. There are original songs, his delivery is warm and dynamic, and it transforms the experience into something closer to the live show this story clearly wants to be.
