false 52838 2 This scathingly hilarious political satire—produced from a collaboration of three of our funniest humorists—answers the burning question: Would anyone care if East St. Louis seceded from the Union?<br><br>East St. Louis, Illinois (“the inner city without an outer city”), is an impoverished town, so poor that Fred Fredericks, its idealistic mayor, starts off Election Day by collecting the city’s trash in his own minivan. But the mayor believes in the power of democracy and rallies his fellow citizens to the polls for the presidential election, only to find hundreds of them turned away for trumped-up reasons. Even sweet old Miss Jackson—not to mention the mayor himself—is denied the vote because her name turns up on a bogus list of felons. The national election hinges on Illinois’s electoral votes and, as a result of the mass disenfranchisement of East St. Louis, a radical right-wing junta led by a dim-witted Texas governor seizes the Oval Office. <br><br>Prodded by shady black billionaire and old friend John Roberts, Fredericks devises a radical plan of protest: East St. Louis will secede from the Union. Roberts opens an “offshore” bank (albeit in the heart of the U.S.) to finance the newly liberated country, and suddenly East St. Louis becomes the Switzerland of the American heartland, flush with money. It also begins to attract a motley circus of idealistic young militants, OPEC-funded hitmen, CIA operatives, tabloid reporters, and AWOL black servicemen eager to protect and serve the new nation. <br><br>Problems set in almost immediately: Controversies rage over the name and national anthem of the new country (they decide on the Republic of Blackland with an anthem sung to the tune of the theme from Good Times), and local thug Roscoe becomes a warlord and turns his gang into a paramilitary force. When the U.S. military begins to move in, Fredericks is forced to decide whether his protest is worth taking all the way. <br><br>Birth of a Nation starts with a scenario drawn from the botched election of 2000 and spins it into a brilliantly absurd work of sharply pointed satire. Along the way the authors lay into a host of hot social and cultural issues—skewering white supremacists, black nationalists, and everyone in between—drawing real blood and real laughs in equal measure in this riotous send-up of American politics. 431044 2004 Birth of a Nation: A Comic Novel total:149|5:41|4:45|3:46|2:16|1:1| 149 556 198 22 4 1 false false Mon Jan 07 19:09:26 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 07 19:21:03 -0800 2008
This is solid political satire from talented guys ( Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic strip The Boondocks, and Reginald Hudlin...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 17 04:03:30 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 19 16:14:52 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Fri Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 09 12:53:22 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 19 19:35:27 -0800 2008 1
Despite having Kyle Baker artwork, which is always a “wow” factor in a graphic novel, I took one look at the synopsis for this book and had the sneaking suspicion I was going to hate it. Oh, boy, politi...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 30 13:30:23 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 30 14:04:05 -0800 2007 The Boondocks fame. It takes place in a parallel reality, if you will, in the aftermath of an American election much like the one in 2000. Some names have been changed, but there are a lot of recognizable players (e.g., President Caldwell is clearly ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 20 05:29:34 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 26 19:48:25 -0700 2008 All the Rage by Aaron McGruder.

It is more like an illustrated story than a graphic novel, full color, no word or thought bubbles over characters' heads.

It's the thinly disguised story of George W. Bush being handed the presidency des...more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Aug 01 14:08:36 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 14:08:36 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Feb 03 16:36:01 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 16:37:57 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Mon Aug 03 10:57:15 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 10:59:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 20 09:56:53 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 09:58:46 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 01 14:02:43 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 07:52:35 -0800 2008
In addition to the stellar art work, the complex story line mashes political themes, African American culture, disenfranchisement, economics, and more.

Here are some links:

http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/sna......more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 05:17:14 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 28 05:26:13 -0800 2008
Dr. Strangelove this is not but it is amusing. Incredibly dated for a piece that is only 4 years o...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 11 13:13:54 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 13:14:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Feb 29 18:42:47 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 29 18:59:42 -0800 2008 The Boondocks or Baker's other work.]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 04 11:28:24 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 11:29:10 -0700 2008 Watchmen]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Mar 26 23:31:44 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 23:31:44 -0700 2008
this is theonly such book i've ever read.]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 04 07:38:17 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 07:39:29 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Jan 14 10:01:44 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 08:23:30 -0800 2008 I'm from St. Louis and it makes me look at the eastside in a whole new light (not that I knew much about it in the first place).]]> 3 0 false false Fri Mar 23 20:40:20 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 23 20:41:26 -0700 2007 Aaron McGruder do the drawings?]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 17 20:18:58 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 17 21:32:45 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 19 18:32:41 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 18:33:16 -0800 2007