War in the Neighborhood Paperback – December 1, 2000

by Seth Tobocman (Author), Luc Sante (Introduction)

4.7 6 ratings

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Book by Seth Tobocman

Print length

328 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Autonomedia
Publication date

December 1, 2000
Dimensions

8.75 x 0.75 x 11 inches
ISBN-10

1570270546
ISBN-13

978-1570270543
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A squatter, former anarchist punk, social activist and underground cartoonist, Tobocman lived on Manhattan's Lower East Side and participated in and recorded grassroots efforts to take over abandoned tenements in the late '80s and early '90s. Along with a ragtag neighborhood collection of working-class blacks, Puerto Ricans and whites, as well as artists and homeless people from all backgrounds, Tobocman broke into abandoned, crumbing tenements in hopes of securing affordable housing. As the neighborhood gentrified in the late 1980s, the squats became the center of a housing movement that eventually collapsed under the weight of its diverse membership and from the unrelenting opposition of real estate developers, the police and the city government. This book offers a creative and highly subjective documentation of those years. Although names have been changed and fantasized elements have been added, Tobocman revisits the violent battles with the police, the local characters who organized and rehabbed the squats and the slow disintegration of the movement. He also presents the complex infighting among the squatters, who not only were fighting a prevaricating city hall but confronting poverty, paranoia, drug addiction and class conflicts within their own membership. Tobocman's storytelling is not always consistent; the book would be better told if a third of the it had been cut. In addition, his radical, anarcho-left-wing politics often turn this fascinating social history into a stilted tale of heroic but doomed socialist class conflict. However, the combination of the stark black-and-white woodcut-style of his drawings and the passion and the brutal honesty of his narration ultimately produces an amazingly compelling story of urban housing policy that will appeal to readers no matter their politics. (Mar.)

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Autonomedia; First Edition (December 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1570270546
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1570270543
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.75 x 11 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,075,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #99,441 in Military History (Books)

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4.7 6 ratings

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Alan W. Moore

It's a classic -- and pretty unique in its description of a US-based squatting movement ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2015

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"War in the Neighborhood" is a graphic novel, yes, but it is based on the author artist's extensive experience in squatting movement on the Lower East Side of New York City. Tobocman conducted formal research among his activist friends as well, who are portrayed as "fictional characters" in this book. It's a classic -- and pretty unique in its description of a US-based squatting movement from the inside. Still, nearly 16 years later... it's pretty much the only thing on that subject around. Here's to a much needed reprint.

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George Hagenauer

An Important documentation of the Squatter's movement in New York

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021

First this is an important documentation of the Squatter's movement specifically in New York City (note it played out differently in London where I knew people involved) and is remarkably detailed and based on personal experience. Second the picture it shows of homeless people is pretty bleak. This is partially because it occurs in New York City and partially the context of squatting and the fact the book is focused on the struggles between the squatters/homeless and the cops as well as the internal dysfunctions of the squatters. End result after reading this you can easily decide that you don't want a homeless program in your neighborhood. Which would be too bad as the homeless like any group are a very diverse population in terms of how they became homeless and who they are. The picture here too often is drug addicts and violence . The reality is far broader than that. I would have liked a segment also on the meta picture - the economic forces driving the real estate boom and some strategies to combat it . For instance the lack of a banking structure for legal marijuana money is driving up prices for housing in many communities. Also the basic concept that housing is investment instead of a place to live rarely gets discussed. A major book that could be improved and thank you Seth for doing it.

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Isabella B. Bannerman

As if you were there

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2012

Even if I hadn't lived in the Lower East Side in the 1980's - I would find this book interesting. It really outlines what it's like to struggle to take over an abandoned building. It also unsparingly chronicles the politics - both governmental and personal that a struggle like this entails. You can tell you are getting the real low down from someone who was right there, and who had the patience to develop a long view and tell the whole story. And it is well drawn.
Should be of interest to anyone studying New York City history, or real estate law - but it's a lot more fun than that - so see if you can get your professor to add it to their curriculum list. There will be plenty to talk about.

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2001

this book was wonderful! it brought tears to my eyes. it is a harsh world, and this graphic novel tells no lies...

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