As a chronicle of a summer of violence and injustice, Chuck D's Summer of Hamn brims with horror, anger, and indignity, with his signature artwork and deceptively quiet sarcasm showcasing the horrors that have recently become all too common in America if not the world (though here, America is without doubt the focus). From gun violence to wrongful imprisonment and outright hatred, each page of art brings to life a new moment and/or victim.
I suspect that most readers who find their way into this book will be of the same way of thinking of Chuck D., and so he's ultimately preaching to the choir, but as an expression of rage and a showcase of his art, the book is powerful in its own right and worth exploring, despite the pain and the emotion involved in this collage-like exploration of one brief summer that carried far too much bloodshed and injustice.