In this book, S. Craig Watkins examines two of the most important
developments in the recent history of black cinemathe ascendancy of
Spike Lee and the proliferation of "ghettocentric films" like Boyz N the
Hood and Menace II Society. Representing explores a distinct
contradiction in American society: at the same time that black youth
have become the targets of a fierce racial backlash against crime,
drugs, affirmative action, and rap music, their popular expressive
cultures have become highly visible and commercially viable. Further,
Watkins considers the imprint of black youth on the landscape of black
filmmaking.