We are entering the period of time where the cultural upheaval that Hillary Clinton losing the White House will have on our literary intake. Out early is Anne Helen Petersen formerly of The Hairpin and currently of Buzzfeed, who is known for her incisive long reads on culture, celebrity, and feminism. This book literally grows out of her election night response article “This is How Much America Hates Women” where she began grappling with what last year’s election reaffirmed about American society. Too Fat, Too […]
Stars Without a Cause
I can’t remember if this was a choice for the July book club, but I know I bought it at the same time. It was either an option that I wanted to read, or a “people who bought this book also liked…” option. Those things reel me in every time. It’s an interesting read, though I suspect people who know more about classic (1900-1950’s) Hollywood are going to find it a fairly dull re-tread. For the most part Petersen simply retells some of the scandals […]
Sex, Drugs, and…Big Band Music?
I always like to do a little research on the authors before I start writing my reviews. In this case, it actually helped make a lot od sense: Petersen is a professor and part-time writer for sites like Buzzfeed and The Hairpin, which is probably why her book reads a little like a dissertation and a little like an article you’d find in Slate. I’m not going so far as to say that’s a bad thing, but for a topic with such promise of dirt […]
I love a vicarious scandal. (Also, half cannonball!)
I discovered Anne Helen Petersen and her brand of celebrity history over on The Hairpin. I was never a religious reader of her articles; there just isn’t enough time to read all the things, all the time. But, when I found out that she was putting together a book based on classic scandals I added it to my list and kept an eye out. Here’s the Goodreads summary, in case you are unfamiliar: Believe it or not, America’s fascination with celebrity culture was thriving well […]