online diary for the masses

My boss recently bought this coffee table book from the local Anarchist (yes, anarchist) book store, and over the past week I’ve spent my lunch breaks reading it. When I first picked it up I never really planned on reading all the way through it, but after spending 30 minutes looking at the images and commentary, Banksy’s Wall and Piece grabbed me like an invitation for free ice cream.

Banksy is an English graffiti artist who is pretty well-known and at the same time highly anonymous. In other words, tons of people are familiar with his work (or vandalism, if you prefer), but nobody knows who he is. After his book piqued my curiosity on this mysterious man, I went to his website where I found clips of various news clips from around the world talking about the street artist, each of them lending further credence to his anonymity.

I’ve always thought that well-done graffiti is awesome, so it’s hard to imagine how this book brought me so much enjoyment. But not only is Banksy’s work done well (he uses stencils for speed’s sake), it’s also politically relevant and socially satirical in nature. What’s not to like?

I can’t think of many people who would want this book on their home coffee tables, but I also can’t think of many people who wouldn’t enjoy thumbing through it. So consider this a recommendation for your next visit to the Barnes, Borders, or your area Anarchist book stores. And if you don’t see yourself going to a book store in the near future, you should probably check out his website, because I doubt you’ve seen graffiti that cool or creative in your neighborhood.

3.5 stars. (I’ve been toying with the idea of incorporating a star system in my book reviews… time will tell).