Harriet Tubman Comes Alive in Bob the Drag Queen’s Novel

Book: Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert

Author: Bob the Drag Queen

Published: March 2, 2025

Wine Choice:  None. Read while at work or listen while driving

Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Stand Alone

Type of book: Novel

Genre: Speculative Fiction

How long did it take me to read this book:   3 Days

Audible/Google/ Spotify: Google Books and Audible

Rating:  

 Happy Pride Month! Happy Post Juneteenth! (Ironically, I wrote this post on Juneteenth.)  Happy Birthday to the Performer, Author, and Comedian Bob the Drag Queen.  I am posting this on Bob the Drag Queen’s Birthday, unless the internet lied, and this is a made-up day to keep people away from their actual birthday.

Amazing! The best way I can describe Bob the Drag Queen’s novel “Harriet Tubman Live in Concert.” It is an excellent book; read this book now! I started the book unsure how the author would introduce the characters, with a signature Bob the Drag Queen with wit, knowledge, and humor. The idea of historical figures returning to the future and disrupting everyday life by assuming life in the 21st century. I do not want to give too much away, but what historical figures would do if they stepped into today’s society. I believe most of them would go to the doctors, and then they would try to fix our current issues.  We are introducing the main character, Darnell. The book still has chapters but is broken into three Acts. “Harriet Tubman Live in Concert would make a great stage play/Musical adaptation. Also, each act serves as an introduction, a backstory revelation, and a conclusion that will make you realize why Harriet Tubman and Darnell connected.

I love all the side characters and envisioned them as many different actors in the industry. When Darnell mentions Suzanne as his manager, Ilana Glazer pops into my head, both being a late twenty-year-old woman but having the essence of a 60-year-old woman with two kids in college (Chapter 8, page 134). Glazer could pull this character off perfectly and add bits of facial expression while being direct and honest. I love how Darnell took this time to learn about Harriet from her bandmate Freeman; each member is unique, introspective, and adds to the flow of the story. Moses, being a protective sibling while still showing his personality, Odessa is both timid and outgoing, yet offers her sister and cousin love. Harriet Tubman gives her thoughts on great abolitionists such as John Brown, while dragging the filth out of Abraham Lincoln. “Harriet Tubman Live in Concert” is a masterclass in writing Historical figures in fiction and staying true to their history.

Bob did something astounding; he highlighted Harriet Tubman as a human and a superhero. Reading how he described Harriet, the poignant words she used allowed her to feel like an old grandmother, tired of her friend’s shenanigans and cussing that friend out in private. The best part was her getting Darnell together without shaming or belittling him and helping him with his Freedom. You must read the book. Act 2 was a humdinger, and as the reader reads, it is evident why Harriet Tubman and the Freemans were in Darnell’s life. I appreciated that Harriet Tubman was Darnell’s Life coach during the book, but Tubman is depicted as stern but gentle. Tubman will not coddle or lie to Darnell but will see him become his authentic self. She was honest and direct and made him face parts of his past that he had buried. I learned from this book that Freedom isn’t free, and you must fight for it. Our past does not dictate our future; we must keep moving. What is holding most people back is not always the systems of oppression, but sometimes ourselves. Hear me out, systems of oppression are still an issue for 99.5% of minorities in America, but learn to navigate that system to get yourself to the best version of yourself.

Live in Concert is a quick read; you can finish this book in one day. I finished the book in three days and even went back and listened to the book via Audible. If you listen to the audiobook, at the end, you will get to listen to two songs written and performed by Bob the Drag Queen: “Now I See” and “Queen of the Underground.”  I have posted the Spotify links below. I have also posted several interviews and YouTube videos about Harriet Tubman for reference and Bob the Drag Queen, who discussed the book on his press tour. Also, to combat the anti-intellectual movement gripping people, here are a few books about Harriet Tubman to learn about the life of this incredible woman. I used Google Gemini to find a few delightful book suggestions you may want to read. While here, you should read about Ona Judge in Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s book “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave.” It is a powerful, non-fiction book that chronicles the life of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman owned by George and Martha Washington, and her escape from the President’s household in Philadelphia in 1796.

Links to visit.

“Now I See” 

“Queen of the Underground

Bob The Drag Queen on “The View”

Bob the Drag Queen interview with Scott Evans

Bob the Drag Queen and Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman segment on Sunday Morning

Bob Addressing the TikTok Tomfoolery

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjWXCnwU/

Here are four highly regarded non-fiction books about the life of Harriet Tubman:

• “Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero” by Kate Clifford Larson
• “Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom” by Catherine Clinton
• “Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad” by Ann Petry
• “Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People” by Sarah H. Bradford (This is an older, classic biography, valuable for its historical context and direct accounts, though modern scholarship might offer additional perspectives).

Until Next Time,

Che Michelle