yvonne C. garrett

the PRB: rewriting the narrative.

  • SÍ, SE PUEDE or, a Latinx history of the U.S.

    In Julio Anta‘s forthcoming graphic novel (October, Ten Speed Press) a museum guide/narrator takes a group of Latinx folx through a museum dedicated to “The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States.” Featuring colorful art by Yasmín Flores Montañez, the book is split into seven chapters with an introduction by Julián Castro (MSNBC commentator, former…

  • Washington State Rising

    Marc Arsell Robinson’s “Washington State Rising:Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest” (NYU Press August 2023) is an academic study of the rise of Black Student Union’s in the 1960s at two of Washington State’s public universities: the University of Washington (Seattle) and Washing State University (Pullman). As Robinson states, these institutions exist in…

  • On Gentrification & White Slackers

    Over some 200 pages of stark black & white graphic art in her new graphic novel “UTown,”  CAB (a/k/a Caroline Breault) tells the story of a neighborhood losing the battle against gentrification. Originally released bi-weekly on CAB’s’ website from December 2019 to May 2022, the graphic novel is scheduled for release this July on Oni…

  • started a Substack

    I’m starting a Substack if you’re into that kind of thing. Here’s the link: https://theprb.substack.com/

  • Notes on Her Color

    Oh, how I wanted to love this book! [“Notes on Her Color” Jennifer Neal, Catapult, May 2023] Centered on a young Black and Indigenous woman growing up in Florida, this debut novel has several strong plot elements and rises above in moments but ultimately isn’t sure what it wants to be: Queer love story? YA…

  • Metallica & ASL

    As announced on several news sites (and even the evening news!), Metallica is the first major rock band to release ASL videos for all of the tracks on their new album. “72 Seasons” is Metallica’s eleventh studio album and came on April 14, 2023 on Blackened Recordings. The announcement came out on April 15th -National…

  • The Power

    In a recent seminar I attended, one participant was waxing enthusiastic about the “awesome” TV series “The Power” (2023) and how it’s all about how “young girls gain power!” While the series is certainly on my list to watch – and when I do, I’ll update this post – it’s based on Naomi Alderman’s 2017…

  • “Eat your Mind”: one man’s take on Kathy Acker.

    I’m always surprised when someone I consider to be well-read hasn’t heard of Kathy Acker. Maybe they don’t know Acker because her work isn’t taught as much as white male writers or maybe it’s because her work is never easy, often confrontational, and makes some people very uncomfortable. Acker’s influence on pop culture is as…

  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Manson’s Girls.

    Americans have an ongoing fascination with Charles Manson, his “family,” and the horrific violence they enacted in 1969. While I’m too young to remember the 1960’s as much more than a blend of early childhood experiences, there are residual effects in how I view the world: whether it’s a deep abiding love for Soul Train,…

  • more book reviews

    you can read my review of Denis Johnson’s “The Largesse of the Sea Maiden” here and my review of Medbh McGuckian’s “Blaris Moor” here.

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