Harare Review of Books

352 pages.

Expected publication date: Oct 31, 2023 (Soft Skull Press)

Mixed anthology.

This is an immersive zine (definitely in its style) on a subculture in a subculture—Black punks in the US. It’s mostly personal recollections, but is much more fun than that because there are fiction pieces, essays, and graphic memoirs included. There’s so much to learn about the history of Afro- or Black punks, and where Black punk is now.

True to the DIY culture of punk, you get to learn, in a wonderfully accessible way, how to make a zine. Also a little about some of the early Black punks, Sista Grrrl Riot. An important conversation with Matt Mitchell on digital privacy will encourage you to delete your apps, which can only be a good thing. (Did you know about the lineage of surveillance of Black people? After reading Ashaki M. Jackson and Matt Mitchell’s conversation, you will.) There’s also a breakdown of the lyrics of Soul Glo’s Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future)), which is deeply moving and very cool.

Black Punk Now feels like the only book you’ll need to read on the subject, but even if it isn’t, it introduces you to some of the important figures in real Afro-punk, so you can go digging further if you wish. Recommended.

Thank you to Edelweiss and to Soft Skull for access to a DRC.