Sue Jones, Shrewsbury, U.K.

It may seem like we’re tooting our own tuba, but one fanzine’s review of Challenger #23 must be reprinted, if only to offer thanks to the author – Sue Jones, of Tortoise (available for the usual at Flat 5, 32-33 Castle Street, Shrewsbury SY1 2BQ, U.K.).

I knew that Guy Lillian’s Challenger 23 would be bound to be concerned with the recent devastation of New Orleans and its aftermath. And so it is. Not a zine to skim through lightly. The articles are often grim, but full of real stories of real people, with direct and powerful writing. It moved me to tears more than once. Chall 23 is a fine lament for a drowned city, but it is also a hymn to the human spirit and its will to survive. Go read.