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Popular Culture September 2020 |
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| Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina by Chris FrantzWhat it is: a vivid and upbeat memoir from Talking Heads drummer and co-founder Chris Frantz.
Topics include: Frantz's marriage to bandmate Tina Weymouth, with whom he co-created the new wave band Tom Tom Club in 1981; touring with the Ramones in 1977; Talking Heads' breakup in 1991.
Don't miss: juicy dish on former bandmate David Byrne, whom Frantz paints as an egotistical jerk. |
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| The Lost Memoir by Lou Gehrig with a biographical essay by Alan D. GaffWhat it is: a recently rediscovered memoir from New York Yankees baseball legend Lou Gehrig that was originally written as a series of columns for the Oakland Tribune in 1927.
Why you might like it: This humble, homespun narrative features a richly detailed essay from scholar Alan D. Gaff that chronicles the Hall of Famer's achievements (including his lifetime stats) and legacy.
Want a taste? "I'm proud of the game and all who play it. And as long as I wear a big-league uniform, I will give all I can to the game." |
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| You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success by Al RokerWhat it's about: the life lessons beloved Today co-host Al Roker has learned throughout his four-decade career in TV.
Read it for: a heartwarming and conversational blend of memoir and self-help.
Want a taste? "It doesn't matter that you're not the star; it matters that you're part of the constellation." |
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The New Chardonnay : The Unlikely Story of How Marijuana Went Mainstream
by Heather Cabot
What it is: "A fascinating journey into the booming business of legal cannabis ... The New Chardonnay tells the story of pot's astonishing rebranding, pulling back the curtain to show how a drug that was once the subject of multi-million dollar PSA warnings managed to remake its image and land at the center of a massive and surprisingly upstanding industry."
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| You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Trainwrecks, & Other Mixed... by Carina ChocanoWhat it is: a witty and incisive collection exploring the limitations of pop culture portrayals of women characters.
What's inside: essays on Bewitched, the Real Housewives franchise, Sex and the City, Pretty Woman, Frozen, and many more.
Awards buzz: You Play the Girl won the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. |
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| Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st... by Chuck KlostermanWhat it is: the 10th irreverent book by cultural critic Chuck Klosterman.
Who it's for: Fans and newcomers alike will appreciate Klosterman's entertaining collection of previously published pieces from 2007-2017, which include updated introductions and footnotes.
Featuring: illuminating profiles of Taylor Swift and Kobe Bryant; a thoughtful essay on empathizing with Peanuts' Charlie Brown. |
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| I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily NussbaumWhat it is: a collection of new and previously published pieces from Pulitzer Prize-winning former New Yorker TV critic Emily Nussbaum.
Read it for: a thought-provoking exploration of TV as art form that gives equal critical consideration to low-brow and high-brow series.
Topics include: the relationship between #MeToo and criticism; TV in the time of Trump; toxic fandom; how Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired Nussbaum to become a critic. |
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| Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia TolentinoWhat it's about: the complexities and contradictions of American culture and identity.
Is it for you? Balancing wry humor with bleak insights, this 2019 New York Times Notable Book offers a well-researched collection of pieces that will resonate with New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino's fellow millennials.
Don't miss: "Reality TV Me," in which Tolentino reflects on her time as a contestant on a teen reality show competition. |
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| What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon YoungWhat it is: a candid collection of humorous and bittersweet musings on contemporary Black manhood.
Topics include: gentrification's impact on author Damon Young's Pittsburgh neighborhood; the relationships forged in barbershops and on basketball courts; the use (and misuse) of racial epithets.
Author alert: Debut author Young is the co-founder of the website Very Smart Brothas and a senior editor at The Root. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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