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Popular Culture March 2019
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| Hollywood's Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A. by Lili AnolikWhat it is: a gossipy yet perceptive biography of Los Angeles artist, writer, and pleasure-seeking socialite Eve Babitz, a mainstay of the 1960s and '70s Hollywood milieu.
Guest starring: Jim Morrison, Steve Martin, Andy Warhol, and more.
Why you might like it: Sweeping and colorful, Hollywood's Eve is a tribute both to Babitz's enduring allure and a bygone Hollywood era. |
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| Bookends: Collected Intros and Outros by Michael ChabonWhat it is: an upbeat collection of introductions and afterwords penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon.
Read it for: Chabon's enthusiastic discussion of his favorite books (including some of his own); insights into his literary influences and writing process.
Notable favorites include: Andrew Bolton's Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy; Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth; Ray Bradbury's "The Rocket Man;" Chabon's Summerland. |
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| The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped... by Ian S. PortWhat it's about: the epic rivalry between guitar manufacturers Leo Fender and Les Paul that changed the sound of rock music forever.
Don't miss: Jimi Hendrix (playing a Fender Stratocaster) besting Eric Clapton (playing a Les Paul Gibson) at a 1966 concert.
Reviewers say: "this love letter to American creativity and rock and roll belongs in every library and should be read by all rock fans" (Library Journal). |
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| How to Date Men When You Hate Men by Blythe RobersonWhat it's about: the pitfalls of modern love, as recounted by 27-year-old Blythe Roberson, a researcher for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Topics include: Good Flirts That Work; Bad Flirts That Do Not Work; Definitive Proof That Tom Hanks Is The Villain Of You’ve Got Mail.
For fans of: Phoebe Robinson and other feminist comedy writers. |
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| Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-JabbarWhat it is: a sensitive portrait of the friendship between NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, which began after Wooden recruited Abdul-Jabbar for the UCLA Bruins in the 1960s and endured until Wooden's 2010 death at age 99.
Read it for: the lessons Abdul-Jabbar learned from Wooden over the years, including the importance of properly attired feet during games. |
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| The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph by Scott EllsworthWhat it's about: the secret March 1944 exhibition game between the North Carolina College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central University) and the Duke University Medical School teams.
Why it matters: The match-up was the first racially integrated college basketball game in the Jim Crow-era South.
Try this next: For another engaging look at an untold chapter of college basketball history, check out Lydia Reeder's Dust Bowl Girls. |
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| The Legends Club: Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Valvano, and an Epic College... by John FeinsteinStarting lineup: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) coaches Dean Smith (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University), and Jim Valvano (North Carolina State University).
What it's about: the trio's fierce rivalry throughout the 1980s as they navigated recruiting wars and sought (and won) national championships.
Further reading: Johnny Moore and Art Chansky's The Blue Divide similarly explores North Carolina rivalries. |
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| Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew MaranissWho it's about: Perry Wallace, who became the first black player in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) after he joined Vanderbilt University's Commodores in 1967.
Is it for you? Candid interviews with Wallace illuminate the racist hostility he endured both on and off the court.
Reviewers say: "The combination of sports and sociopolitical history will appeal to both basketball fans and students of civil rights" (Booklist). |
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