Product Description

The writing is on the wall. Not many read it. Fewer try and understand it. But when you do it tells an important story. Important because it makes what is usually seen as 'senseless and mindless' meaningful. Important because it tells us something different about society's favourite folk devil - the adolescent male. And important because it stops people judging the book by its cover. This is a book about graffiti, but it is really a story about the (male) young and the nameless and their search for respect, status and masculine identity at a time in life when this is often hard to find. Using insights from ethnographic research with illegal graffiti writers in London and New York, this book provides essential reading for anyone interested in new understandings of youth and their subcultures.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #144280 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
'By demonstrating the importance of gender in the formation and dynamics of youth subcultures, this book represents a challenge to the canon of subcultural theory. A thoughtful and insightful contribution which deserves to become an important text in (sub)cultural studies.' - Rosalind Gill, Lecturer in Gender Studies, London School of Economics and Political Science 'Macdonald has gone to the heart of the graffiti writers' world and brought to bear the most thorough and provocative research. Her success depends, in part, on her forthrightness, her refusal to condescend and her respect for the writers' enterprise and voice. Her informants are heard loud and clear giving this book an authentic tone that stays in tune with the language of the streets. Macdonald maps out this, largely male, rite of passage and presents adolescence as a period between two worlds: literally in the subway tunnels, figuratively in the subcultural underground. Her candid and often humorous description of the fieldwork process, her unusual perspective as a woman observing men and her well documented conclusions make this book essential reading in the fields of anthropology, sociology and juvenile justice and a very enjoyable read for anyone else interested in art, youth and human nature.' - Henry Chalfant, author of Subway Art 'Subcultures may come and go, but graffiti has stuck around with no sell-by date in sight. In its lifecourse it has rarely been subjected to an analysis that is not only academically persuasive, but also wrapped in the walking, talking, painting actions of graffiti coda. This book offers a fascinating portal into the mind of the graffiti writer.' - Ephraim Webber, Editor of Graphotism Magazine Review of Hardback Edition 'One of the strengths of the book comes from the fact that she infiltrated the male-dominated graf world and managed to gain the trust of writers in London and New York. Extracts from her interviews with them pepper the text and, most interestingly, she ends the book with a series of written communications from some of these writers, to whom she had sent copies of the manuscript requesting feedback.' - The Guardian

Henry Chalfant, author of Subway Art.
'a very enjoyable read for anyone ... interested in art, youth and human nature.'

Ephraim Webber, Editor of Graphotism Magazine
'This book offers a fascinating portal into the mind of the graffiti writer.'

Customer Reviews

Unique and compelling
Taking a different approach to the graffiti subject is not something I would usually recommend - most authors that have tried to write about graf and the surrounding culture produce forgettable books often ridiculed by graf writers. And if you don't appeal to the people you're writing about, where's the decency in that? Nancy Macdonald has totally blown any preconceptions you might have about her approach to this subject - she looks at the culture from the perspective of an outsider looking in, but successfully involves the people she is writing about. Genuine quotes from writers (not just any writers, but respected and admired writers) prove that Macdonald carried out the necessary research to write an incredible book on the ideas and psychology behind graffiti. Although the content is generally text, the selection of photos are well chosen and effective at backing up the writing.

To cap off an already-essential book, Macdonald had the courtesy to hand the book back to the writers who contributed and helped. Their comments (in the back of the book) only enforce that this book is accurate and genuine - and for that alone, Macdonald should be applauded.

For anyone interested in graffiti - whether it's reading quotes about yard missions, or wanting to know the reasons behind why people write on trains and walls - this book is vital reading.

The most in-depth piece I have read on the subject
This book is an amazingly well-researched piece on a subject I know a great deal about. Macdonald's depth of analysis and personal insight for an "outsider" is stunning. Well written, fun and intensely deep. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to "feel" this almost impenetrable subculture without having to go through the trauma.

thought provoking
I love this book because it provides us with a new way of looking at an 'old' subject. Graff has been around for decades, but no one has ever analysed it from the perspective of the individual - what does it mean to the bloke writing it, how does it benefit him, what role is it playing in his life. These questions are all addressed in this text, adding a gendered perspective to how we see and understand this phenomenum. A really good read.