Black Nerd Problems is an incredible series of essays from a website that I honestly had not heard of prior to getting a review copy from Simon and Schuster. The collection features Omar Holmon and William Evans reflections on just about everything in nerd culture, from comics to movies to television series, and then manages to seamlessly integrate cultural, political, and social commentary into the essays and examine a broad spectrum of what it means to be Black fanboys while existing in America. The most engaging aspect of these essays is the voice that these two writers bring to the page – and their ability for their voice to jump off the page is astonishing and a lot of fun.
The audience for this book is huge. I am a white nerd myself. I am also an educator who often grapples with addressing the state of race in America in my classroom on a daily basis. Holmon and Evans’ examination of heavy topics from Black Lives Matter to the true impact of the meaning and casting choices of Hamilton (and even the lack of said choices in Mad Men) provides a much-needed everyman’s entry into the discourse. Teamed with an astonishingly deep love of comics and our culture, Holmon and Evans have a collection here that delights but also reflects much of what makes our country beautiful. The humor in these pages is difficult to truly capture in how well these pieces are executed, and overall, it is a remarkably curated collection about books, art, comics, film, television, literature, and our nerdish culture. A great read, and I look forward to diligently following and diving into the vast content on their website from here out, sharing it with my friends, and using their voice in my classroom.
Black Nerd Problems will be released by Simon and Schuster in September 2021, and will be available everywhere. Their website featuring many of (perhaps all of) these essays and many more, is BlackNerdProblems.com
Garrett Zecker 