Box Brown

A depressing but lively look at how toy corporations have been grooming children for the past century to make them brand-loyal consumers whose nostalgia will keep them worshiping at corporate IP altars their whole lives.

The irony of course is that as Box Brown points out how nostalgia has made us marketing prisoners I spend most of the book going, "Ooh, I remember those!" as he discusses various toys and story franchises. And with his last few books about Tetris, Andre the Giant, and Andy show more Kaufman, Brown is no stranger to exploiting pop culture nostalgia for his own book sales.

Brown cites the Netflix "Toys That Made Us" documentary series several times. If you haven't had a chance, that show is as fun and enlightening as this. show less

From its origins in religious ceremony in what is now India, the plant known as cannabis has been a part of human society for thousands of years. In this informational graphic novel, Brown covers its history, development and usage, as well as its negative reception as its prevalence increased in the western world. The documented propaganda, the motivations behind it, and the lasting stigma are eye-opening, yet also unsurprising. One can easily perceive parallels with stories in the news show more today with respect to underhandedness and the inventing of crime statistics to fit a narrative. I learned a good deal, and I recommend this book regardless of where you fall on the legalization spectrum, as it's important to understand how we got to where we are today when making choices for the future. show less

I'd known of Andre the Giant almost exclusively from The Princess Bride, having no previous sense of the extent of his professional wrestling career. Apparently he was kind of a big deal! This graphic, biographical account of his life contains very little to laugh about, though there is possibly some dark humor. Afflicted with gigantism caused by excessive growth hormones, he lived a rather lonely existence despite decades in the public eye. Living with chronic health issues and pain, show more receiving looks of fear or laughter from strangers his entire life — it's no wonder the extent to which he self-medicated. Despite the likelihood that he was exploited in the wrestling world, he seems to have been relatively happy with his career, but the idea that he didn't see retiring to his cherished farm in the country as an option, because it was too lonely there, is heartbreaking. I thought Box Brown did Andre's story justice and would recommend it, though I was not won over by the illustration style. show less

Brown whitewashes the life of Gary Coleman into a fictional character named Eugene Owen. After doing nonfiction biographies of Andy Kaufman and Andre the Giant, it seems odd that Brown decides to take a fictionalized and satirical approach here. Fear of litigation, maybe? Unfortunately, the satire is extremely tame. Instead of using the freedom of fiction to generate some over-the-top humor or drive home a big idea, the story is pretty paint-by-the-numbers, sticking so close to the format of show more the tragic child star bio docs on E! and VH1 as to be indistinguishable. This is not This is Spinal Tap; it's just Gary Coleman's odd and sad life without factual accountability. Disappointing. show less