Customer Reviews

Bomb the Suburbs

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you know nothing about hip hop, if you're white, if you don't live in the big city (like me), this is a good book to read to find out more about the other side from a point of view that is neither condescending and fearful nor filled with undue awe. It deals with the past, present, and hopeful future of hip hop culture, and also gives some really surprising insights into how blacks in the big city perceive whites. The author is courageous, honest in his own views, and extremely objective during his interviews with others. It's an amazing amount of wisdom packed into a small space, definitely something to pass on.

This book is very appealing upon the first read. A white author writing with authority on a black art form, how empowering for all us crackas! Slow down. Upski is a talented writer and offers an interesting perspective on a subject that receives very little attention, but whites would do well to put a lid on the corny hip hop vs. rap, Four Elements of the Temple of Hip Hop type of babble. I've met Upski several times, and he's even admitted to me that Bomb the Suburbs is essentially a white author writing what he thinks Blacks want to hear.

Read his second book, No More Prisons, for a more balanced and less "desperate to be down" narrative on the state of hip hop. He matures greatly between the two books.

This book is more than Hip Hop story's to brag to your friends about. Bomb the suburbs by William Upski Wimsatt is a book breaking boundries in the way white kids like me think about hip hop. I feel that if you have any interest in Hip Hop at all, this book is a perfect way to investigate your curiosity. Wimsatt discusses the past, present, and future of hip hop and its relation to whites, and our country as a whole. I don't know any of my friends who were dissapointed in reading this book. Wimsatt is too honest to have the book taken as a joke. I reccomend this book for all "kids" with hip hop in there headphones, and all "adults" who turn off there childrens music out of a frustration that needs to be investigated. This book looks at politics in a much less pompus way than others in it's genre. Please set down your fears, and pick up this book at your local independent bookstore if possible.

When I picked up this book I was expecting an in depth study on race relations and the segregation that exists in our cities. I was expecting some discussion about the suburbs being for whites only and the ghetto being for blacks only. What I got was a collection of articles and interviews piled together with no main purpose. The 2 or 3 articles about race are very good and very observant. However, the rest of the book seems to be a collection of stories about Upski. He talks a lot about graffiti(and how down he is), but has no argument as to why it is good or bad. This book is worth getting only because of a few articles, besides that it's mainly Upski talking about how cool he is.

I truly appreciated how Upski spoke about race, how honest, complex and nonpatronizing - this book was truly refreshing and I would say a must-read for anyone interested in American ethnic studies in general!! I am so glad I decided to get this book, even though I can't do grafitti for sh*t (the book is so much more than describing various grafitti ettiquette, attitudes and opinions!!). Don't let the title trick you - it's all about the races, and this guy is truly a gifted race writer, especially when tackling the touchy issue of whites who don't necessarily identify positively with the white culture(s).

This book is more than Hip Hop story's to brag to your friends about. Bomb the suburbs by William Upski Wimsatt is a book breaking boundries in the way white kids like me think about hip hop. I feel that if you have any interest in Hip Hop at all, this book is a perfect way to investigate your curiosity. Wimsatt discusses the past, present, and future of hip hop and its relation to whites, and our country as a whole. I don't know any of my friends who were dissapointed in reading this book. Wimsatt is too honest to have the book taken as a joke. I reccomend this book for all "kids" with hip hop in there headphones, and all "adults" who turn off there childrens music out of a frustration that needs to be investigated. This book looks at politics in a much less pompus way than others in it's genre.

Listen, I'm not particularly interested in writing a soliloquy here so I'm simply going to tell you what I think. Many of my close friends read this book when it came out in 1994. I blew it off wholesale, because I didn't think I needed someone else to tell me about hip hop culture. As it turns out, I was wrong again. What this book does best is shine a light on the contradictory forces regarding race relations in the US. Upski's greatest asset, in this context, is his honesty. He expresses dismay at the current state of hip hop culture (music, graf, dance, etc.) yet he knows that his legitimacy (as a white participant) is in question. It's really quite fascinating. Upski very clearly cares about the subject matter; his feelings virtually bleed onto the paper. But what kind of power does someone his position have in this case? The answer, of course, is: both more and less than you'd think. This book questions legitimacy, the suburban view of the "ghetto", the "real" ghetto, graffiti's place within the hip hop canon, and, of course, the white presence in hip hop culture. Anyone intersted in this topic should read this book. No one is asking you to agree with the views expressed inside. We are, however, asking for you to participate.

I ordered it probably a week before christmas. I was thinking it wasnt going to make it in time but i came way sooner than i expected needless to say i will shopping with you again

This book gives the reader an inside view of the Chicago graffiti culture. As a child from rural America, I had no exposure to this art form or the motivating forces behind the hip hop culture. Now I'm finding I can't get enough of it, and even I can relate. Upski is an excellent writer who breaks it down for you in the simplest of terms. Reading this book, you feel like you're having a dialogue with an experienced teacher who is humble, yet blunt. In his second book "No More Prisons", Upski shares some refreshing views on social change, I recommend this book as well.

I have to admit that when I first picked this book up at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco I was totally freaked out by the title and cover...Now, what's that old cliche....Right?. This book should be required reading for all high schoolers across the country because it speaks the language for today's student.

I wish more people could read this book because people could realize how to utilize hip-hop and youth mobilization as a tools to help solve the issues that are occurring throughout the U.S. today.

Upski grew up in one of my most favorite neighborhoods in the world, Hyde Park, which is located in the South Side of Chicago. You can tell that the neighborhood had a big influence upon him because he understands the benefits of surrounding yourself with other cultures. After reading his calls-to-action, I was inspired to start an AAU Program in the ABLA Homes on the West Side of Chicago in order to utilize athletics as a tool to attract inner city youth to community center programs. This book also started me on my path to explore the revitalization of public places in inner cities.

Check it out...Implement change in your neighborhood now.