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The Boondocks #2
The Boondocks: Fresh for '01...You Suckas
The Boondocks is a rich, multilayered comic strip that offers a frank yet often funny look at race in America. It starts with a simple premise: Two young boys, Riley and Huey, move from inner city Chicago to live with their grandfather. The tension increases, however, because the two boys are African-Americans now compelled to adapt to a white suburban world. They must take all they've learned in the 'hood and apply it to life in the 'burbs. Superbly illustrated, The Boondocks has stirred controversy, attracted widespread media coverage, and won readers who've applauded McGruder's unapologetic and humorous approach to race.
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
52 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Aaron McGruder
12 books165 followersAaron McGruder is an American cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip about two young African American brothers from inner-city Chicago now living with their grandfather in a sedate suburb. Through the leftist Huey (named after Huey P. Newton) and his younger brother Riley, a young want-to-be gangsta, the strip explores issues involving African American culture and American politics.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 10, 2023
The resemblance between what this has to say about Al Gore and the last two democratic campaigns? Uncanny.
January 15, 2020
"Read, Dummy!"
Another classic bunch of strips from Aaron McGruder that include a number of classic Boondocks moments. Why not repay George Lucas with a kick to the butt for what he did in The Phantom Menace? How exactly do you take the presidential debates seriously when everyone is essentially saying the same thing? If you're a revolutionary, can you really be a census taker or is that working for The Man? All of this and more mixed together with the commentary that makes these strips so unique.
This is a great collection and is truly where the strip begins to become the entity that has made it such a classic and long-lasting contribution to the papers it ran in. McGruder has truly found his voice and a comfortable tone with which to lambaste everyone who comes his way with his right to be hostile. The Boondocks is an incredible strip, one everyone should read at least once in their lives. The census series alone is a great starting point if I do say so myself. Or maybe Huey's battle against procrastination when it comes to lawn mowing... Hmm...
Another classic bunch of strips from Aaron McGruder that include a number of classic Boondocks moments. Why not repay George Lucas with a kick to the butt for what he did in The Phantom Menace? How exactly do you take the presidential debates seriously when everyone is essentially saying the same thing? If you're a revolutionary, can you really be a census taker or is that working for The Man? All of this and more mixed together with the commentary that makes these strips so unique.
This is a great collection and is truly where the strip begins to become the entity that has made it such a classic and long-lasting contribution to the papers it ran in. McGruder has truly found his voice and a comfortable tone with which to lambaste everyone who comes his way with his right to be hostile. The Boondocks is an incredible strip, one everyone should read at least once in their lives. The census series alone is a great starting point if I do say so myself. Or maybe Huey's battle against procrastination when it comes to lawn mowing... Hmm...
January 22, 2008
Aaron Mcgruder was one of the only people involved with the American media in any way who had the balls to speak out against some of "W" and co.'s several missteps in the touchy months following 9/11. He even lashed out at his own censors, replacing the little thugs in his comic strip with new characters called "Flaggie and Ribbon." Oh my God that was fucking funny. I guess we all have our own ideas of what patriotism means...
October 7, 2010
Brilliant stuff, contains some of the better strips from the series. Includes classics like Psycho Star Wars Guy kicking George Lucas, the 2000 Census, and McGruder's contribution to the series of comic strips memorializing the late Charles Schulz: "Read Dummy!"
This book is some of the best parts of a great comic. It deserves to be mentioned with the best of Doonesbury, the Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes.
This book is some of the best parts of a great comic. It deserves to be mentioned with the best of Doonesbury, the Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes.
May 23, 2008
BEST COMIC EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 31, 2021
Same as my other review. I love McGruder’s works.
March 29, 2024
I recently started watching The Boondocks, and I was curious about its origins. I enjoyed the comics, but I think it meant a great deal that I was familiar with the characters already.
2001 is a long time ago now, and as an expat, I didn't hear all the news of the time. So I didn't understand all the references and had to look them up. But I laughed out loud at Riley calling Clinton a "playa president [...] You think I could grow up to be president pimp like Bill Clinton?" And some of the gags were just as relevant today, if you just switch out the scandal and people involved.
Besides current events, empty value signalling through Black History month was a frequent theme. Huey even tricked the principal into believing that Carver Day is a popular celebration, "like Kwanzaa, only with lots of peanut products." It's like the school thinks Carver is the only black inventor, whereas Granddad knows for example that Jesse Eugene Russell invented cell phones.
Star Wars/pop culture was also a common theme.
But you gotta just plain love Huey - the voice of revolution, reason and just plain common sense, but at the same time just a little kid who hates mowing the lawn and sometimes gets hoisted by his own petard - "Crud! Caught in the clutches of a conflicting conspiracy conundrum."
I plan on reading the other comic collection, too.
2001 is a long time ago now, and as an expat, I didn't hear all the news of the time. So I didn't understand all the references and had to look them up. But I laughed out loud at Riley calling Clinton a "playa president [...] You think I could grow up to be president pimp like Bill Clinton?" And some of the gags were just as relevant today, if you just switch out the scandal and people involved.
Besides current events, empty value signalling through Black History month was a frequent theme. Huey even tricked the principal into believing that Carver Day is a popular celebration, "like Kwanzaa, only with lots of peanut products." It's like the school thinks Carver is the only black inventor, whereas Granddad knows for example that Jesse Eugene Russell invented cell phones.
Star Wars/pop culture was also a common theme.
But you gotta just plain love Huey - the voice of revolution, reason and just plain common sense, but at the same time just a little kid who hates mowing the lawn and sometimes gets hoisted by his own petard - "Crud! Caught in the clutches of a conflicting conspiracy conundrum."
I plan on reading the other comic collection, too.
January 1, 2025
Filth flarn filth! Yeah I I didn't think he could top vol. one but he surely did.
Currently going back to read all his works & I must say it has helped reshaped my focus & keep my head on a swivel when it comes to my beliefs & truths. Even though the book-strip is much more tame compared to the show, it also hits all the boxes in a more intellectual way, but still of course got the classic boondocks humor.
Literally the first page I opened had me when Cindy McPhearsom was in summer attire while it was visibly freezing outside & then asked the ‘suited up’ Freeman brothers if they was cold haha, hysterical. Just imagine The Boondocks with an extra character not too far from Chicago, Brooklyn NY, to compact & be a camaraderie to Huey’s beliefs which is really a breath of fresh air. The connection between those two characters to me really signifies on how you have to be aware of what circles you surround yourself with & where your ears gravitate towards to throughout life. Sometimes you think no one cares about the subjects you are passionate about & then you can lose faith at times, but all it can take is one person with some clean ears to get the ball rolling.
Between all the inside jokes throughout the entirety of this strip, you will find yourself cackling all through the engagement of this volume. Between Riley’s blatant ignorance but care/stressfree mentality, Huey being the nonstop activist/FREE THINKER but at times being unrealistic with real life problems occur, Granddad’s (Rip John Witherspoon) old-skool funny teachings/sayings, no non-sense attitude and with “this is the real world” approach to situations to wake up the grandkids when needed, but at times his uneducated self shows, this comic knows how to show the good and flaws of anyone while remaining satire.
McGruder’s topics still remain strong & true till this day, between the school systems being very flawed when it comes to boiling down history to its accuracy to benefit the youth, oppression tactics throughout the government, our fallen leaders being forgotten, politics, stereotypes, interracial relationship consequences, etc. Aaron does a splendid job on tackling these subjects in such an entertaining way while still remaining true to the roots. Because it’s like this….
If you don’t know your place in this world or the foundation of how you got here & the people that suffered for you to walk on your own two feet, then you start to lose the true value of life. No need for the crabs in a bucket mentality when information is free & sharable we can all eat if we ALL really wanted to… but that’s never fully the case now is it…. Knowledge comes first so get yours first so you can live freely. Great book must read for all my boondockians (yes that’s what I call us) ferserreee!
-beAnerd -iamthestonethatthebuilderrefused
-fakewokedoesntexist
Mos Def aka ‘Yasin Bey quoted’,
“Get Yours First, Them Other Ni**as Secondary”
Currently going back to read all his works & I must say it has helped reshaped my focus & keep my head on a swivel when it comes to my beliefs & truths. Even though the book-strip is much more tame compared to the show, it also hits all the boxes in a more intellectual way, but still of course got the classic boondocks humor.
Literally the first page I opened had me when Cindy McPhearsom was in summer attire while it was visibly freezing outside & then asked the ‘suited up’ Freeman brothers if they was cold haha, hysterical. Just imagine The Boondocks with an extra character not too far from Chicago, Brooklyn NY, to compact & be a camaraderie to Huey’s beliefs which is really a breath of fresh air. The connection between those two characters to me really signifies on how you have to be aware of what circles you surround yourself with & where your ears gravitate towards to throughout life. Sometimes you think no one cares about the subjects you are passionate about & then you can lose faith at times, but all it can take is one person with some clean ears to get the ball rolling.
Between all the inside jokes throughout the entirety of this strip, you will find yourself cackling all through the engagement of this volume. Between Riley’s blatant ignorance but care/stressfree mentality, Huey being the nonstop activist/FREE THINKER but at times being unrealistic with real life problems occur, Granddad’s (Rip John Witherspoon) old-skool funny teachings/sayings, no non-sense attitude and with “this is the real world” approach to situations to wake up the grandkids when needed, but at times his uneducated self shows, this comic knows how to show the good and flaws of anyone while remaining satire.
McGruder’s topics still remain strong & true till this day, between the school systems being very flawed when it comes to boiling down history to its accuracy to benefit the youth, oppression tactics throughout the government, our fallen leaders being forgotten, politics, stereotypes, interracial relationship consequences, etc. Aaron does a splendid job on tackling these subjects in such an entertaining way while still remaining true to the roots. Because it’s like this….
If you don’t know your place in this world or the foundation of how you got here & the people that suffered for you to walk on your own two feet, then you start to lose the true value of life. No need for the crabs in a bucket mentality when information is free & sharable we can all eat if we ALL really wanted to… but that’s never fully the case now is it…. Knowledge comes first so get yours first so you can live freely. Great book must read for all my boondockians (yes that’s what I call us) ferserreee!
-beAnerd -iamthestonethatthebuilderrefused
-fakewokedoesntexist
Mos Def aka ‘Yasin Bey quoted’,
“Get Yours First, Them Other Ni**as Secondary”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2020
I know some of y'all don't read the newspaper...but you should read this book. "Fresh for '01" is the second collections book from Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic book strip the Boondocks. After reading this work, it reminded me why I can be came a fan of the both the comic and the animated series. McGruder humor is sharp, intelligent and observant as tackles everything from political debates to pop culture. Aside from this collection, one should check out two of this other works, "Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper" and "A Right to be Hostile".
October 1, 2023
Very wild that this ran in newspapers. I read it every morning in the newspaper because it looked like anime, but I was like 9 so I had no idea what any of it meant. It's sad to read the strips that reference the upcoming 2000 election, where the recurring bit is that there's no way Bush could POSSIBLY win, he's too dumb.
Also weird to consider how much he dunks on Star Wars and George Lucas, when McGruder would go on to work on the script for Red Tails, a film executive produced by George Lucas.
Also weird to consider how much he dunks on Star Wars and George Lucas, when McGruder would go on to work on the script for Red Tails, a film executive produced by George Lucas.
January 5, 2018
Sorry it's not for me
It doesn't help that I read this on Kindle and it was hard to read the font which was impossible to make larger (couldn't zoom in on pictures either). I was bored and even thought about not finishing it in spite of it being such a short book. I don't think comics/graphic novels are really my genre.
It doesn't help that I read this on Kindle and it was hard to read the font which was impossible to make larger (couldn't zoom in on pictures either). I was bored and even thought about not finishing it in spite of it being such a short book. I don't think comics/graphic novels are really my genre.
May 26, 2025
A fun strip that stands out from the pack. Some of the topical references made in this compilation are dated but the core messages that are being conveyed are still relevant. Most of the issues highlighted are still current today (in an ironic twist including "Puff Daddy" being in legal trouble) The humor is good and the topics are communicated in a relatable way.
February 19, 2025
gotta love my revolutionary, hyper-woke, anti-establishment, environmentalist huey freeman 😁✊🏾
July 27, 2025
laughed at the census stalker arc till I cried
blue ghost strip made me cry
10 out 10
blue ghost strip made me cry
10 out 10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2011
I love the Boondocks. I do wish that in some of the strips there was less Caesar and more of the other characters. I mean, I like Caesar, but just not as much as I like the other characters. I prefer Riley, Granddad, Tom, Cindy, and Jazmine to Caesar. The strips that he's in aren't as funny as the other ones.
February 6, 2009
In this book the way they told the grandpa that he was fired was wrong. And why did they let the little kids see a bad movie? I would of told them no!And they were too young to see it.I really think the family in the book is crazy.
December 22, 2007
Its the boondocks nuff said
February 21, 2008
way better than the animated series.
March 6, 2008
A little painful to read the Nader/Gore/Bush stuff now, 8 years later.
April 9, 2008
Nothing like the TV show version of the strip.
December 17, 2023
Boondocks from 2000. Good stuff
September 16, 2012
Love the addition of the character Michael Caesar (BROOKLYN!! ) who is not on the tv show.
December 18, 2015
Just as funny as the first volume!
November 12, 2017
"I don't want to live in the MIDDLE."
"I always dreamed of owning a house someplace beautiful like this. A nice quiet place where I can retire and live, the rest of my life away from the problems of the city, with really big oak trees in the yard and lakes nearby to go fishing. I don't have to like any of these people here, and they don't have to like me."
"Back in Chicago I had a friend whose father was white and mother was black. He felt trapped_ torn between two opposing worlds. He used to say that he wished he could just be considered HUMAN."
"I always dreamed of owning a house someplace beautiful like this. A nice quiet place where I can retire and live, the rest of my life away from the problems of the city, with really big oak trees in the yard and lakes nearby to go fishing. I don't have to like any of these people here, and they don't have to like me."
"Back in Chicago I had a friend whose father was white and mother was black. He felt trapped_ torn between two opposing worlds. He used to say that he wished he could just be considered HUMAN."
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews