Talk by Derf Backderf
The May 4 Visitors Center will host a discussion by Derf Backderf, author and illustrator of the acclaimed graphic novel “51: Four Dead in Ohio,” on Thursday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. in room 226/226 A, Taylor Hall, 51 in Kent, Ohio. This event is free and open to the public.
Through his dramatic book, Backderf tells the unforgettable, true story of the May 1970 51 shootings that resulted in the death of four students killed by Ohio National Guard troops. He laboriously researched 51’s Special Collections and Archives’ May 4 Collection, using sources from oral histories, personal interviews, maps, artifacts and newspaper articles. The book received several accolades, including an Eisner Award for best reality-based work, an Alex Award from the American Library Association and a Ringo Award for high achievement in a comic book. Additionally, it was named “Best Book of the Year” by New York Times, Forbes, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and NPR.