Nominated for the Ignatz Award for Best Graphic Novel and the Doug Wright Spotlight Award.

Buy it directly from the Uncivilized Books here.

“With deft sketches and minimal text, she shows how the streets of a city can simultaneously foster and crush social change, and how urban humans cling to personal freedom in an increasingly monitored world.” — Sarah Goodyear, The Atlantic Cities

“Engaging and informative, the book covers a surprisingly broad range of subjects given its brevity. The black-and-white artwork may appear simple but each illustration conveys a wealth of emotional detail, from demonstrations to Yanow’s stripped-down view of herself. The book’s quiet deliberation becomes more impressive with each read; Yanow is an author/illustrator to watch.” — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“A fascinating meeting of urban design, activism and theory of the control of the masses.” — Julien Morissette, Radio-Canada/CBC

War of Streets & Houses is named after General Thomas Bugeaud’s 19th century essay; the first manual for the preparation and conduct of urban warfare. The text greatly influenced Baron Haussmann’s famous re-development of Paris, and the planning of modern cities. In 2012 the author participated in the massive Montreal student strikes. In the midst of protesting crowds and police kettles, the military origins of urban planning suddenly became an undeniable reality. Sophie Yanow’s most ambitious work to date deftly melds the history of urban planning, theories of control with personal experiences of political activism.