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Popular Culture September 2020
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The Baddest Bitch in the Room : A Memoir
by Sophia Chang
About Sophia Chang: Fearless and unpredictable, Sophia Chang prevailed in a male-dominated music industry to manage the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B. The daughter of Korean immigrants in predominantly white suburban Vancouver, Chang left for New York City, and soon became a powerful voice in music boardrooms at such record companies as Atlantic, Jive, and Universal Music Group.
What you'll get out of it: The story of her life as the first Asian woman in hip-hop, working with such acts as The Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest. The book spans her career in the music business, her path to becoming an entrepreneur, and her candid accounts of marriage, motherhood, aging, desire, marginalization, and martial arts.
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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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| I Tried to Change So You Don't Have To: True Life Lessons by Loni LoveWhat it's about: comedian and Emmy Award-winning The Real host Loni Love's hard-won path to success.
Read it if: you're looking for a lighthearted memoir peppered with inspiring advice (including "Find Your Hustle" and "If God Sends You a Sign, You Better Pay Attention").
For fans of: Tiffany Haddish's The Last Black Unicorn. |
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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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Switched on Pop : How Popular Music Works & Why it Matters
by Nate Sloan
What it's about: Pop music surrounds us - in our cars, over supermarket speakers, even when we are laid out at the dentist - but how often do we really hear what's playing?
For listeners of: Switched on Pop is the book based on the eponymous podcast that presents an accessible analysis of Top 40 hits. Musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding illuminate the essential musical concepts behind two decades of chart-topping songs.
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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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