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Summary: don't believe the hype
Review: "i'm a student doing research, and i need to know". another lame attempt by a privaledged white girl to " exploit something she knows very little about. her book is weak!
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Summary: This Book is a MUST READ!
Review: Beautiful book, highly informative! I really love this book. Susan's style of writing flows like the grafitti she describes - hardcore! Great photos, history... This book is a must for anyone who wishes to explore the world of graffitti. Let this book guide you!David Spero
Rating:
Summary: Not well put together
Review: Book was poorly put together. Scattered pictures throughout the book. She put herself in serious danger trying to take these pictures...i know how south central is and people who are white will get either robbed or killed in some way or another usually not in a car of course. I don't really understand the point of the book what is it for? We already know about the crips and bloods etc; people are looking for answers to problems not listening to her rave about her Geertzian ghetto or whatever the hell it was. It's no problem that she is white in my opinion...she seems to have a little self-hate problem, for instance she says: i was on 103rd street when a black man charged at me on his bike of hate of my whiteness"
DUH...she is white in WATTS an entirely black area so of course people will treat her as what she is. whatever the book was WACK
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Summary: Hip-hop vs. gang graffiti
Review: Dear Readers, The difference between hip-hop and gang graffiti is a fascinating topic and distinguishing between the two is one of the main points of my book. For example, "Tricks" of the TPS crew hitting up his name on an adopt-a-wall freeway sign is a classic example of tagging (or hip-hop graffiti); "TwoShay Loc es42GC," on the other hand, is the signature mark of a gang member from the east side Foe Duce Gangsta Crips. For more information on this subject, see Chapter 5 of Wallbangin', in particular the section "Comparing Hip Hop and Gang Graffiti." I would be delighted to talk to anyone else interested in the book or these topics. Best, Susan Phillips
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: Good book, although she seems to get tired after her discussion of Chicano gangs. Could use some more discussion of Hip-Hop graffiti. But overall an excellent discussion. Great read, a must for everyone in the L.A. area.
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Summary: Wallbangin': Graffiti and Gangs in L.A.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author's research approach and theory are both novel and intriguing. It is a book that will make one think again about the social construct of gangs as well as the political message of graffiti. The negative reviews of this book seem to be based in the notion that the book should demonize the informants as well as gangs in general. If one is looking for tired rhetoric regarding gangs and graffiti, this is not the book for you. Rather, the author's work expands the parameters of the dialogue regarding gangs.
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Summary: Phillips' breaks down the walls of misunderstanding
Review: Seven years in the researching and writing, Wallbangin' is a most fascinating read. A must for anyone concerned with the meanings behind gang and hip hop grafitti, with emphasis on the ubiquitous phenomenon in the Los Angeles area.
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Summary: This is unique and outstanding work on fascinating subject.
Review: Seven years in the researching and writing, Wallbangin' is a most fascinating read. A must for anyone concerned with the meanings behind gang and hip hop grafitti, with emphasis on the ubiquitous phenomenon in the Los Angeles area.
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Summary: The two subjects couldn't be more distant...
Review: Taggers and gangbangers are two very different types of people. Don't confuse the two.
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Summary: Phillips' breaks down the walls of misunderstanding
Review: The reader from San Diego obviously did not read the book. Not only does Phillips separate taggers and gangbangers into different chapters, she delineates the underlying similarities in the reasoning and the form of the graffiti of both taggers and gangsters. She shows functional and material sociological reasons for the graffiti of these little-understood populations, while at the same time allowing us to clearly see her own views on the subject. She does not try to create a false objectivity. Additionally, the book makes a good read--and especially interesting for anyone living in Southern California.
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