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Posted on October 24, 2008 4:46 AM
ARTS IN REVIEW

'Party Crashing'
Reviewed by Jenna Ekdahl
Collegian Staff Writer

Author Keli Goff said presidential candidate Barack Obama's story is a "welcome reminder no one has a lock on what it means to be black in America."
In her new book, Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence, Goff delves into some of the issues surrounding the population of young black Americans and what their politics are like today.
Her work provides a detailed look at some of the qualities this group identified with in the past and the evolutionary roots it's currently pursuing.
What works well is that almost every page has significant, important information Goff uses to prove her points with facts to back her.
One of the biggest issues the book deals with is that the Democratic Party needs to work harder and not take its 'gimme voters' for granted, including the population of black Americans.
Goff said the somewhat newfound voting independence of the "Hip-Hop Generation" is from the lack of a connection with the civil rights movement. It hasn't had a first-hand experience with the Democratic Party that had a huge involvement during that era, so they are more detached.
Their ideas and experiences are different and separate from those of their parents, therefore they can't be lumped under what Goff repeatedly refers to as the "political umbrella."
One effective technique Goff uses, and overuses, is citations of studies and statistics to back up her claims, such as the idea that "a third of younger black Americans no longer feel the need to conform to traditional party labeling."
While this is a vital asset to her argument, at times the stats become a little bit too overbearing and overshadow her personal opinions that she tries to get across. They emphasize her statements about culture, but her own voice grows technical and mundane when it's suffocated by all of the facts.
An insightful move Goff makes is to take either stereotyped or common phrases like "black leader" and "Hip-Hop Generation" and define them in a way that makes them undefined.
Goff explores what connotations these terms hold and where these connotations came from. She asks questions about who exactly is a black leader, with answers ranging from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Oprah Winfrey.
Goff explains why there cannot be a set definition for the term and why there maybe shouldn't be because there isn't really a common term for "white leader." She argues the black community has "become ethnically, socially, economically, and politically more diverse."
Her conclusions step beyond traditional realms of thought to highlight her opinion that black Americans, especially those in the younger voting crowd, are their own entity. She presents the idea that "partisanship is decreasing with every generation" in this demographic.
Goff uses a very familiar and non-technical style and tone that makes reading Party Crashing effortless. Her arguments spark the reader's interest and own consideration of the subject -- the mark of truly dynamic political literature.
Grade: B+