Going All City: Struggle and Survival in LA's Graffiti Subculture

The name of the author, Stefano Broch, came to me in a recent LA Times story about a very large abandoned building in down town LA that had been strikingly graffitied over a period of three nights. In the course of the article, Stefano Broch, a cultural geographer, was quoted. While searching for more info about him, I learned that he himself had been a prolific graffiti "writer" in his youth and that he had written a memoir book Going All City. I ordered the book I wanted to know his journey. The memoir is gripping. It reveals the details of the work, the creativity, the danger, the drive, and the vital bonds created among his fellow "writers". He is now an academic (among other things, I'm sure) in the field of cultural geographer and urban ethnographer. His story so benefits from his "in the trenches" perspective as well as his academic perspective of graffiti and it's relationship to geography and expression. Fascinating.

I had to read this book for Professor Bloch’s class this year, & honestly it is worth it. Usually when Professors assign readings I tend to not do them or find it hard to stay focused. I read this book in 4 hours. The way he tells his story keeps you intrigued every second & each detail correlates to later chapters that just give you more of an insight on things. I recommend anyone to read it because it changes your perspective on things & can open your eyes on things you turned a blind eye to, especially reading it from someone’s point of view who lived through it.

This book was incredible - Bloch was my professor for a class and I really enjoyed reading about his past and how he got to where he is today. Even though it was a required reading for our class I would recommend it to everyone because of how good it was!!

Such a great book, compelling story, and insight in to micro and macro issues within Southern California, and how these issues have mutated over decades and affected communities. I applaud Stefano for using his story as a study and glimpse into this world, and really enjoy his way of storytelling. He humanized the characters, the stories felt non-biased, and I feel they hit a full range of emotions. I think this book can be very useful for adults working with/or trying to understand youth for challenged communities, and can provide insight for people that may be unfamiliar with these complexities. I also think it can benefit and inspire youth, who may relate to these stories.

Stefano Bloch presents the realities of living in Los Angeles in the 90s and the struggle to survive in an incredibly poignant and memorable way. A coming of age story wrapped up in a discussion about the misconceptions and thrill of graffiti writing, Bloch takes us into his world and encourages us to apply his lessons to our lives. This book is effective in presenting a viewpoint that may not be popular, but is no less valid or valuable. It changed my opinions and thoughts about so many things and taught me a lot about what gang life and graffiti really are. This is an incredible and moving account of one man's desire to "go all city" and his experiences along the way. I would 100% recommend reading this book.

This perfectly written book is captivating from beginning to end, and brings the reader through a range of emotions including levity, and all while educating people about life in gang infested and policed neighborhoods of poverty and despair. Ultimately it leaves you in awe and with respect for how graffiti writers and their friends and families survived. This book touches on poverty, race, immigration, drugs, art, friendship, survival, gangs, police, and so much more. I couldn't put it down and now recommend it to EVERYONE.

The only book I have ever read in one sitting and finished in a couple of hours. 10/10

I read this book not knowing what a criminal autoethnography even was. This book, however, was very well written and kept me engaged until the last page. Not only is the book filled with one interesting story after another--which are all based off of true events, but the book also does a great job of tying real-life experiences to a very intriguing philosophy of crime. Even if you are not reading it to study crime or even interested in crime, I would definitely recommend the read.