Tayari's Blog: Stagger Lee Shot Billy....

Posted by TayariJones on January 21, 2007 08:47 AM
Filed under Bookshelf

I'm really getting into graphic novels. Right now, I am reading Fun Home by Allison Bechdel, and loving it. Last year, I taught Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, which is supposed to be a classic of the genre. (It was very interesting and there were moments when I was really engaged. But between you and me, I wanted to slap him every time he drew the black woman from behind.)

Large Hearted Boy posted a piece on the new graphic novel, Stagger Lee. I first because acquainted with the legend of Stagger Lee when reading Erasure by Percival Everett. (A really really good book.) In that novel, "Stagger Lee" is the pen-name of the literary writer who decides to write street-fiction to make a buck. I mentioned this an older friend who screamed with laughter. "What?" I said. "I don't get it." That friend, began to sing.

Stagger Lee is the archetype of the "gangsta". "The Ballad of Stagger Lee" (the ditty performed by my friend) was written about a real life shooting. (For more info, you can click here.) Anyway, I was sort of interested in the graphic novel, and then sort of not interested. I am at the gangsta saturation point.

One of my New Year's plans is to read books that I am sort of suspicious of. I guess I can start here.

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