{"product_id":"taking-the-train-joe-austin-9780231111430","title":"Taking the Train: How Graffiti Art Became an Urban Crisis in New York City","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the 1960s and early 1970s, young people in New York City radically altered the tradition of writing their initials on neighborhood walls. Influenced by the widespread use of famous names on billboards, in neon, in magazines, newspapers, and typographies from advertising and comics, city youth created a new form of expression built around elaborately designed names and initials displayed on public walls, vehicles, and subways. Critics called it \"graffiti,\" but to the practitioners it was \"writing.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eTaking the Train\u003c\/i\u003e traces the history of \"writing\" in New York City against the backdrop of the struggle that developed between the city and the writers. Austin tracks the ways in which \"writing\"-- a small, seemingly insignificant act of youthful rebellion--assumed crisis-level importance inside the bureaucracy and the public relations of New York City mayoral administrations and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for almost two decades. \u003ci\u003eTaking the Train\u003c\/i\u003e reveals why a global city short on funds made \"wiping out graffiti\" an expensive priority while other needs went unfunded. Although the city eventually took back the trains, Austin eloquently shows how and why the culture of \"writing\" survived to become an international art movement and a vital part of hip-hop culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joe Austin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231111436\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231111430\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/09\/2002\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.15lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/11\/2002 pg. 175\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/15\/2002 pg. 98\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/19\/2002 pg. 40","brand":"Joe Austin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43946357915903,"sku":"9780231111430","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_45f8224a-96a4-4fe7-bc00-c4659ef3f493.jpg?v=1681512688","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/taking-the-train-joe-austin-9780231111430","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}