Boondocks: Because I Know You Don't Read The Newspaper (Paperback)

by Aaron McGruder (Author) "RILEY, WE'RE NOT IN CHICAGO ANYMORE....." (more)
Key Phrases: The Boondocks

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Boondocks took the syndication world by storm. The notoriety landed Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder in publications ranging from Time magazine to People magazine which named him one of the "25 Most Intriguing People of '99. Centered around the experiences of two young African-American boys, Huey and Riley, who move from inner-city Chicago to the suburbs (or the "boondocks" to them), the strip fuses hip-hop sensibilities with Japanese anime-style drawings and a candid discussion of race. Funny yet revealing, the combination of superb art and envelope-pushing content provides one of the most unique strips ever.

About the Author
McGruder has become a widely heard and respected commentator on race, politics, and entertainment. The cartoonist was born in Chicago but grew up in racially diverse Columbia, Maryland. The Boondocks first saw print in the student newspaper at the University of Maryland where he majored in Afro-American studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (August 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740706098
• ISBN-13: 978-0740706097
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,377 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boondocks, October 14, 2000

By	medjay (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

I've known of Aaron McGruder's comic strip for a while but never actually got around to reading it (longtime fans will forgive me, I hope). Well, I got my hands on this collection and after catching up with everyone else I have to say that I have a new flag to wave. In fact, I'm kind of jealous. Boondocks is exactly the comic strip I would have created had I actually sat down and done it. Topics such as Hip-Hop, racial identity, stereotyping and poitics are all dealt with in an intellegent and non-condecending manner that's fresh in this age of stiffling political correctness.

It's refreshing to see hip-hop treated with the respect it deserves by someone who clearly loves the culture. The discussions about race and politics are honest and thought- provoking. Plus, like the best Calvin and Hobbes strips, Boondocks is just downright funny.

I have to admit that I had no idea that Mr. McGruder's strip had caused such an uproar. After reading the book I hit up the website and was treated to a very telling display of all the hate mail and negativity that has been spewed by numerous people. It's not surprising. One thing that I've come to realize is that a lot of people have a very low tolerance and understanding of social satire. That's why people don't "get" movies like "Fight Club" and bad mouth the current Spike Lee Joint "Bamboozled". And since Boondocks is social satire at its finest it will be doomed to misunderstanding and attack by people who don't "get it" and read more into it than they should. Populated by characters like Huey Freeman, a conspiricy theorizing revolutionary and Reily, his foul-mouthed, bling-blinging little brother, Boondocks is not your typical Sunday paper comic strip.

My favorite moment from the book involves Huey answering the phone and being presented with "exciting news" about new long distance service. Huey responds that he has exciting news too. . . "De La Soul is releasing a triple LP this year and The Roots are finally coming out with their long-awaited live album."

Well, I have exciting news too. . . The Boondocks strips are now collected in their first book. Pick it up.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Undeniably the best since Calvin & Hobbes, October 28, 2000

By	Margaret Ikeda (Manhattan) - See all my reviews

I picked up a copy of the Boondocks by chance because I liked the sub-title (Cause I know you don't read the newspapers). Upon opening the book, I was exposed such intelligent, funny, and sharp prose and endearing, honest, well-thought out characters that I became an instant fan. The Boondocks is destined to be the next Calvin & Hobbes and/or Doonesbury, and I am excited to have discovered it during it's first publication in book form. Someday, when it is a household name and syndicated across the country I'll be able to see "I knew it when . . ." Lucky me. Pick up a copy as quick as you can, I promise you wont be dissapointed.

As an aside, besides Huey (the main character and "radical scholar"), my favorite character is Jazmine. As a girl who also struggles with being biracial occasionally, I think she does a wonderful job of representing this aspect of race in America. Aaron (the artist behind the Boondocks) handles a potentially volatile topic with consistant clarity and beauty. Check out Boondocks.net and look at the 7/23/00 comic (under the "Strips" link) to see what I'm talking about. If your reading this Aaron (maybe?), Thank you from the heart.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Proof That The Daily Strip May Not Have Breathed It's Last.., June 11, 2002

By A Customer

Bloom County. I have to mention it because Boondocks draws from Berke Breathed's legendary 80s strip endlessly. From the children with mature perspectives to the pacing of the humor, the inspiration is clear. But Boondocks succeeds in being original and entertaining for a few reasons:

1. New Perspectives: Boondocks is almost always dealing with the issues of the day, which makes it fresh. It is also from a mostly black perspective, as so few comic strips are or ever have been.

2. More radical than Bloom County or anything I've ever seen in the papers.

3. No talking animals. At least none that I've seen.

None of this makes it better or worse than it's predocessors, but rather unique and refreshing. It's one of those strips that is very fun to look to each day for a radical, humorous perspective on what's being jammed down our throats by the media at the time.

The main character, Huey, acts as both the voice of the strip but a comical figure at the same time. There is a lot of wisdom in what he is saying and that gets across, but at the same time his personality and approach are constantly being poked fun at. Aaron McGruder seems to be indulging in healthy self-satire without making a mockery of his political views, and I assume that is quite tough.

All in all, if any strip deserves to be the next Calvin & Hobbes, this is it. Nevermind Dilbert - and put Garfield to sleep, already.