Nov York

by Dumar Brown

Genres: Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Liara Roux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this over two sittings. The writing style is very experimental but super readable. If you’re offended by the use of the N-word in Mark Twain’s writing, don’t pick this one up. Dumar, who lets us know in the second chapter that he’s white, uses the word very freely. He uses just about every slur in the book for every race, gender, & for sex workers as well. Personally not my vibe, and I think the book would have benefitted from that being edited out. However, this book captures the skater/graffiti scene in New York in the 90s like no other book I’ve ever read. I appreciate the long psychedelic interludes. This guy is permablazed and thinks 4 tabs of acid is a “regular” dose. One of my favorite sequences in the book is about him tripping in jail.

If you enjoy Erowid trip reports or hanging out with directionless stoners and are difficult to offend, you’ll probably enjoy this read.

[Justianna Birzin]

This book is supposed to be amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We should all read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's about thug life, and it's written by a guy who clearly knows what he's talking about. You should be over 18 for this one, by the way.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book no one's read

[Gabriele Dargyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book ever. Loved the style of writing, he is a great story teller and very funny too

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I've dropped acid in the past I always tend to get a feeling of divine awe at the beauty of the world haunted by an inescapable, nauseating anxiety that some weird cosmic joker is playing a trick on me. This book feels similar. After the accounts of street fights and graffiti bombing, when the adrenaline is purged from the body, Nov's story of late 90s New York is always a little sickly, always a little dopesick.

Is graffiti art? I don't know. But also, yes, without a doubt. And it's illegal and no one really makes money from it (except for the people who Nov would probably call sellouts who get paid to throw up big medium-ugly murals) which makes it even more interesting. Someone more well read on art theory could probably write a lot about how graffiti calls into question claims of property, ownership of public space, acceptable hegemonic taste vs vernacular art, etc. Is it vandalism? Probably. Banksy makes millions off of it but I don't think he ever says anything the New York Times would grit their teeth at publishing.

Nov really wants to make it a point that he's breaking out of something. He thinks, and I would agree with him, that he knows something that a lot of other people don't or at least can't quite articulate and much of his pain is in seeing a broken society and having his hands tied to do anything about it. And so he wants to get in your face about it, get in the face of society and the police and just shout at you until you understand and really listen to him. Underneath all the mean mugging and empty 40z you can tell there's a really sensitive guy who wants to make a difference. My friend whose more plugged into the New York graf scene told me Brown is a teacher or something now, and if that's the case I think he'd be one of the best.

[Danny Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great journey into street life and graffiti in new York

[Val Ver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate books that go against the grain

[Bear Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supernovae

[Alexander Knapik-Levert · Rating 5 out of 5]

possibly the best book ive read in my life along with night by elie wisel or the painted bird

or the stranger by camus. or jane eyre. this book changed my life. it needs to be taught in schools.