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Popular Culture September 2017
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| You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Trainwrecks, & ... by Carina ChocanoFrom Pretty Woman to Frozen, Carina Chocano (a staff writer for Salon) digs into portrayals of women in popular culture over the last 50 years. In addition to her insightful analysis of topics such as sexuality, motherhood, and women in the workplace, Chocano offers personal anecdotes from her own childhood, when she was unmoved by the Disney princesses popular among her peers, and her current efforts to raise a confident daughter. If you want a similar exploration focused on science fiction, try Kameron Hurley's The Geek Feminist Revolution. |
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| The Streak: Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and Baseball's Most Historic Record by John EisenbergFor more than 50 years, Lou Gehrig held the record for playing the most baseball games in a row, with 2,130. In 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. broke that record, ultimately shattering it with 2,632 consecutive games. These two "miracle" efforts, including the lengths to which each man went to keep their streaks going, as well as several other records held by baseball's various iron men, are discussed in enthusiastic and celebratory detail. The drama is surpassed only by the long hard slog such efforts require, and the question: is it worth it? |
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| Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan by Elaine M. HayesSarah Vaughan dropped out of school to become a jazz singer; her win at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater landed her a gig singing with Earl Hines' band, where she performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine at the dawn of bebop. A champion of civil rights, with a voice like honey and a mouth that earned her the nickname "Sailor," Vaughan was a rare woman in a male-oriented business, a strong and successful performer despite mismanagement by the men in her life. Queen of Bebop provides an insightful look at her life and career -- and the legacy she left behind. |
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| The Arena: Inside the Tailgating, Ticket-Scalping, Mascot-Racing, Dubiously... by Rafi KohanLike Tom Jones' Working at the Ballpark, Rafi Kohan's The Arena is a vivid exploration of what it's like behind the scenes at a modern American sports stadium, from tailgating and ticket scalpers to halftime shows and local traditions. It also includes a look at the role that big-ticket sports plays in both U.S. culture and local economies. Kohan mixes humor, hands-on research, and sociological analysis to create an entertaining and edifying book that provides new perspectives on everything from turf management to turf wars to the financial shenanigans behind the building of new arenas. |
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| Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth FranklinDrawing on new interviews and newly discovered correspondence, this comprehensive biography of the author of the chilling short story "The Lottery" (and the classic ghost story The Haunting of Hill House) sheds light on the rest of Shirley Jackson's life and work. Placing Jackson's literary suspense squarely in line with the American Gothic work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, author Ruth Franklin also points to her varied oeuvre as indicative of a time in which women had limited options. Insightful and engaging, this biography has won several awards, including a Bram Stoker Award, an Edgar Allan Poe Award, and a National Book Critics Circle Award. |
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In the mountains of madness : the life and extraordinary afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft
by W. Scott Poole
"In the Mountains of Madness interweaves the biography of the legendary writer with an exploration of Lovecraft as a phenomenon. It aims to explain this reclusive figure while also challenging some of the general views held by Lovecraft devotees, focusing specifically on the large cross-section of horror and science fiction fans who know Lovecraft through films, Role Playing Games, and video games directly influenced by his work but know little or nothing about him. More than a traditional biography, InThe Mountains of Madness will place Lovecraft and his work in a cultural context, as an artist more in tune with our time than his own. Much of the literary work on Lovecraft tries to place him in relation to Poe or M.R. James or Arthur Machen; these ideas have little meaning for most contemporary readers. In his provocative new book, Poole reclaims the true essence of Lovecraft in relation to the comics of Joe Lansdale, the novels of Stephen King, and some of the biggest blockbuster films in contemporary America, proving the undying influence of this rare and significant figure"
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| Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula by David J SkalIn Something in the Blood, author David Skal minutely examines all there is to know about Bram Stoker, creator of vampire legend Dracula. Making use of his own extensive research, previously published materials on Stoker, and detailed descriptions of Dracula productions through the years, Skal discusses Victorian beliefs and anxieties about sexuality and disease, as well as Stoker's connections to Oscar Wilde. An "enthralling work of biography" (Kirkus Reviews), enhanced with illustrations, Something in the Blood is sure to appeal to aficionados of Victoriana in addition to Stoker's own enduring fandom. |
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