The Orwellian sinkhole that the Bush administration has cultivated over the last seven years hasn’t been without it’s unintended benefits. Just look at “Lil Bush”, a great new cartoon that would be bereft of material were it not for Dubya’s follies. Perhaps the best thing about his reign has been the various entities, from Stephen Colbert to Moveon.org, spawned in his wake. Theodore Hamm presents an incisive, smart look at the commentary and art inspired by the Bush years in his book “The New Blue Media”. Hamm deftly recounts the development of several progressive movements and the roles they played in the American discourse. Unfortunately the wounds have not quite healed so rehashing the disappointment of the last two presidential elections may not be easy on the faint of heart. A succinct narrative style is employed to tell the sad story of Bush through the eyes of those that lobbied hardest against him. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of lighter moments, especially when the subjects include Michael Moore and Stephen Colbert. The opening chapter gives you Hamm at his best as his musings regarding The Onion’s rise in circulation will have you reading the cited pieces when you are done chuckling. Similarly, his inside look into Jon Stewart’s rise is both deft and entertaining.

The fact that the progressive media had very little impact on the direction of the Democratic party is also well documented by Hamm. What’s unanswered is whether the progressive media represents a growing voice. Unfortunately the book was printed before Barack secured the nomination, signaling a new direction for the party. An up to date conclusion in the paperback addition is much needed.

- Chris Benson

In a time when people are putting out throw pillows meant to look like Krylon spray cans, and graffiti and “street” art have become big business, one can’t help but wonder what’s next? Graffiti dinnerware? Is nothing sacred?

Fortunately there are projects like Piecebook: The Secret Drawings of Graffiti Writers to remind us that, at the beginning, there was a bunch of kids who had no idea how much money would creep into the art movement they were creating.



Released this summer by Prestel, the book is a painstakingly curated collection of drawings that “weren’t for the world to see,” Sacha Jenkins notes in his introduction. “The Piecebooks came into being, very humbly,” writes Jenkins, “because the writers and the fans of writers wanted autographs. Signatures. Mementos, proving that you’d encountered the likes of a TAKI 183 or a JOE 182.”

Jenkins and coauthor David Villorente’s extensive curatorial work is complimented by Mark Melnick’s book design, which recalls the black books of writers, complete with improvised duct-taped binding. The production of the book is doubly impressive, with pages that show the ink in such a way that the colorful drawings appear to be originals.

If New York’s graffiti culture were a famous author, this would be a collection of personal letters. Don’t confuse it with the ashtrays and collectible spoons in the museum gift shop.

—O.H. D’Bagg