Bomb the Suburbs

Bomb the Suburbs
	Cover of the 2008 Catapult edition
Author	William Upski Wimsatt
Illustrator	Margarita Certeza Garcia
Language	English
Release number	3,000
Subject	Urban Culture
Set in	Chicago
Publisher	Subway and Elevated Press (Soft Skull Press), Catapult
Publication date	1994
Publication place	United States
Media type	Book
Pages	112
ISBN	0-9643855-0-3

Last updated March 16, 2025

Bomb The Suburbs is a collection of essays by William Upski Wimsatt, a former graffiti tagger. It is a mix of storytelling, journalism, photojournalism and original research, on a broad range of topics, such as suburban sprawl, hip hop culture, youth activism, graffiti, and Chicago.^[1] In the book Wimsatt presents hip hop as a force for social justice and political change.^[2]

Reception

The editor of Newcity has identified Bomb the Suburbs as "perhaps the definitive work of hip-hop literature".^[3]

Bomb The Suburbs led to subsequent books and political activism.^[4] In an essay in his No More Prisons compilation, entitled "In Defense of Rich Kids", Wimsatt responded to class based critique of his social privilege:

"You can hate me if you want to. I am the beneficiary of a very unfair system. The system gives me tons of free money for doing nothing, yet it forces you to work two and three jobs just to get out of debt."^[5]

References

↑ Worldcat entry
↑ Graeff, Erhardt (29 July 2013). "Bomb the Suburbs book review". erhardtgraeff.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
↑ Hieggelke, Brian (20 December 2010). "Nonfiction Review: "Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs" by William Upski Wimsatt". newcity.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
↑ Kristin V. Jones (2004-05-20). "Who Let the Punks Out?". The Nation . Retrieved 2006-09-22.
↑ Wimsatt, William Upski, ed. (2000). No More Prisons .

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[1] Worldcat entry

[2] Graeff, Erhardt (29 July 2013). "Bomb the Suburbs book review". erhardtgraeff.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

[3] Hieggelke, Brian (20 December 2010). "Nonfiction Review: "Please Don't Bomb the Suburbs" by William Upski Wimsatt". newcity.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

[4] Kristin V. Jones (2004-05-20). "Who Let the Punks Out?". The Nation . Retrieved 2006-09-22.

[5] Wimsatt, William Upski, ed. (2000). No More Prisons .

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