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Popular Culture
January 2014
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"He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas."
~ John Ruskin (1819-1900), English art critic
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New and Recently Released!
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| Collision Low Crossers: A Year Inside the Turbulent World of NFL Football by Nicholas DawidoffLike journalists Stephan Fatsis (A Few Seconds of Panic), John Feinstein (Next Man Up), and George Plimpton (Paper Lion) before him, professional writer Nicholas Dawidoff somehow managed to join an NFL team, gaining the kind of access to players, coaches, and other staff that fans can only dream of. Unlike Fatsis and Plimpton, however, Dawidoff wasn't on the field. Rather, he got to examine "operations," including the scouting season and the trials and tribulations of the coaches, especially Jets head coach Rex Ryan. If you're a Jets fan, a football fan, or just need a crash course in football, you won't want to miss this "superlative insider's portrait" (Booklist). |
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| Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World that Made Him by David HenryBy the time he died in 2005, Richard Pryor had won an Emmy, five Grammys, and several other awards. He is still Number 1 on Comedy Central's list of greatest comedians. But he was also addicted to drugs, had married seven times (to six different women), and spent time in an Army prison. Though acknowledged as a comic genius and known for his uncompromising and outspoken work, Pryor had difficulty maintaining emotional connections with others: both were likely outcomes of a difficult childhood marked by abuse. In Furious Cool, his biographers (both fans) have created a "beautifully written account of the troubled life of a manic genius" (Booklist). |
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| Beatles vs. Stones by John Campbell McMillianThe Beatles and the Rolling Stones have long been set up as competitors to each other, but as Beatles Vs. Stones shows, their connection to each other wasn't really so black and white. They may have been competitors of sorts, but they also respected each other; their supposed rivalry had more to do with their managers and promoters than with any personal enmity. Readers interested in how the careers and images of the two bands were shaped will be particularly interested in this illuminating history. |
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| The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks... by Steve RushinIf baseball ephemera and the arcane history of the sport are all part of the game for you, then you won't want to miss this unique history of America's favorite pastime. Here you'll learn about the first batting "helmet" (it was inflatable), the invention of the athletic cup, and early opinions of men who wore baseball gloves (dismissive). You'll read about spring training sites, memorabilia, and stadium layouts, and how things have changed over the years (such as pre-recorded rock music replacing organ music). Trivia fanatics can also try Zack Hample's The Baseball, an in-depth history of, you guessed it, the ball itself. |
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| Fosse by Sam WassonBob Fosse, the legendary dancer, choreographer, screenwriter, and director, died in 1987, but his innovations live on in his work, such as the film Cabaret, for which he won an Oscar (the same year, he also won a Tony and an Emmy). Providing full context for his professional career and showing us his relationships with others -- his wives, his dancers, and his friends -- author Sam Wasson presents a "scintillating biography" (Publishers Weekly) that, even at 750 pages, "ends too soon" (Booklist). |
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Traveling Entertainment in Years Past
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| American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee by Karen AbbottGypsy Rose Lee survived an appalling childhood in vaudeville to become a star known far beyond the burlesque stage. In this "fast-paced, funny, flavorful reckoning with a unique American icon" (Kirkus Reviews), author Karen Abbott offers far more than "just" a biography -- she provides context for Gypsy's life and brings the people of the era to life, including the Tammany Hall politicians, gangsters, and theater promoters who surrounded Gypsy, and the Minsky brothers, who popularized burlesque in the 1930s. |
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| Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison by Michael DalyIn addition to the tale of an elephant named Topsy, this is also a history of two distinct rivalries. One was between P.T. Barnum and competing circus owner Adam Forepaugh (each had an enormous elephant headliner). The second was between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, who were vying over whether direct or alternating current should be used to electrify the U.S. The stories come together in Forepaugh's elephant Topsy, who after a difficult life as a circus performer was electrocuted. Between tales of the 19th-century mania for elephants and the early days of electricity, author Michael Daly also offers a history of traveling circuses; you can try Paul Chamber's Jumbo for more on the pachyderm prized by Forepaugh's rival, P.T. Barnum. |
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| The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini by Jim SteinmeyerAt the same time that the American public was entertained by traveling circuses and carnivals, magicians had captivated their imaginations. And in the early 1900s, the best and most well known of them all was Howard Thurston, not Harry Houdini. After an early career as a pickpocket and con man, Thurston became an incredibly successful magician, touring Europe, Asia, and Australia in addition to covering the U.S. and bringing with him plentiful assistants, a menagerie of animals, and literally tons of magical accoutrements. To learn more about the man billed as the "Greatest American Magician," pick up this "thoroughly fascinating biography" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present by Duncan WallMesmerized by the circus, author Duncan Wall won a Fulbright scholarship to attend France's National Circus school, where he learned how to clown, juggle, tumble, and fly on the trapeze while also researching the origins of the circus -- and the unique ways different cultures approach it (think Cirque du Soleil's human dexterity vs. the Ringling Brothers' animal acts). In addition, he spoke with professionals in this highly competitive world, in which inventiveness, passion, and commitment are as necessary as physical skill. The result is a book as remarkable and colorful as the circus itself. |
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