Luke Romano is excited and eager to educate people about anarchism. Highlights of Cracks in the Concrete include an Obituaries section that features information about the death of Utah Philips and George Carlin. This section is neat because I had never heard of Utah Philips and Romano provides an interesting backstory for him. Other features of this issue are: “Law Enforcement Against Prohibition?,” “Religion and Self-Esteem,” and “Is There a Cause for Revolution?,” which I found particularly interesting and educational.
I especially enjoyed Douglas Fur’s column “Jughandle,” where he uses the jughandle as an effective metaphor for leaving the road of war and heading toward the path of peace and collectivism. His was probably my favourite part of the zine because I was able to make the connection between anarchy and aspects of North American contemporary society and the need for revolution, which seems to be a main point Romano is trying to make. Fur’s column talks about the extent of heterosexism in contemporary society and the way male-to-male affection is treated with suspicion and negativity. The look of Cracks in the Concrete is simple and makes for easy reading, and there is a lot of content in this free educational zine. Luke Romano has put together a useful resource for people to understand more about anarchists and the political workings of the United States in general. Romano’s writing style is opinionated, but balanced and fair, and his enthusiasm makes Cracks in the Concrete enjoyable to read. (Grace Evans)
Zine, Issue #9, Luke Romano, P.O. Box 2748 Tucson, AZ 85702, USA