NEW BOOK:
CLOSE TO THE EDGE: IN SEARCH OF THE GLOBAL HIP HOP GENERATION
By SUJATHA FERNANDES
Published: 3 OCTOBER 2011
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“A classic of hip hop writing and a poignant tribute to urban youth.” – JEFF CHANG, author of CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP
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At its rhythmic, beating heart, CLOSE TO THE EDGE asks whether hip hop can change the world. Hip hop—rapping, beat-making, b-boying,deejaying, graffiti—captured the imagination of the teenage Sujatha Fernandes in the 1980s, inspiring her and politicizing her along the way. Years later, armed with mc-ing skills and an urge to immerse herself in global hip hop, she embarks on a journey into street culture around the world.
Part memoir, part travelogue, part in-depth study of global hip hop culture, CLOSE TO THE EDGE is a vibrant and lyrical exploration of the sounds and struggles of today’s urban youth. Along the way, Fernandes accidentally enters a rap battle in Cuba, hangs out with homeless children in Venezuela, and gets to grips with gangs and graffiti in Chicago.
From the south side of Chicago to the barrios of Caracas and Havana and the sprawling periphery of Sydney, she grapples with questions of global voices and local critiques, and the rage that underlies both. An engrossing read and an exhilarating travel account,this punchy book also asks hard questions about dispossession, racism, poverty and the quest for change through a microphone.
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Further praise for CLOSE TO THE EDGE:
“Gripping” – WORD;
“Fernandes chronicles her search for a global hip hop movement through an earnest and self-reflexive approach to storytelling that is equally concerned with history and social issues. She offers fascinating and detailed snapshots of the hip-hop scenes in Sydney, Chicago, Havana and Caracas while asking broad and crucial questions about the intersections between music, identities, and politics. CLOSE TO THE EDGE is both thought provoking and a pleasure to read.” – RAQUEL Z. RIVERA, author of NEW YORK RICANS FROM THE HIP HOP ZONE, and editor of the anthology REGGAETON.
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SUJATHA FERNANDES is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She is the author of CUBA REPRESENT! CUBAN ARTS, STATE POWER AND THE MAKING OF THE NEW REVOLUTIONARY CULTURES; WHO CAN STOP THE DRUMS? URBAN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN CHAVEZ’S VENEZUELA; and CLOSE TO THE EDGE.
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ISBN: 978 1 84467 741 2 / $19.95/£12.99/$25.00CAN / Paperback / 224 pages
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For more information about CLOSE TO THE EDGE, or to buy the book visit:
http://www.versobooks.com/books/1014-close-to-the-edge
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