Best of
Pop-Culture

2020

The World of Critical Role


Liz Marsham - 2020
    These pages chronicle how a circle of friends who all happen to be talented voice actors built the most-watched tabletop role-playing livestream of all time.Discover dazzling new illustrations and richly written insights into the locations, characters, and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role’s two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Go behind the scenes with archival photos and exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters’ most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show’s world through a highlighted tour of the crafts, cosplay, and art they create every day. Featuring a foreword from the cast, lush illustrations, and the inside story you won’t find anywhere else, this book is your indispensable guide to Critical Role. The adventure begins!

Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused


Melissa Maerz - 2020
    Embraced as a cultural touchstone, the 1993 film would also make Matthew McConaughey’s famous phrase—alright, alright, alright—ubiquitous. But it started with a simple idea: Linklater thought people might like to watch a movie about high school kids just hanging out and listening to music on the last day of school in 1976.    To some, that might not even sound like a movie. But to a few studio executives, it sounded enough like the next American Graffiti to justify the risk. Dazed and Confused underperformed at the box office and seemed destined to disappear. Then something weird happened: Linklater turned out to be right. This wasn’t the kind of movie everybody liked, but it was the kind of movie certain people loved, with an intensity that felt personal. No matter what their high school experience was like, they thought Dazed and Confused was about them.Alright, Alright, Alright is the story of how this iconic film came together and why it worked. Combining behind-the-scenes photos and insights from nearly the entire cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and many others, and with full access to Linklater’s Dazed archives, it offers an inside look at how a budding filmmaker and a cast of newcomers made a period piece that would feel timeless for decades to come.

The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary


Robb Pearlman - 2020
    There's just one problem--Michael doesn't know how to lead the line. Filled with colorful, detailed illustrations and brimming with Easter eggs and nods to iconic moments from the show, this hilarious reimagining features a pint-sized cast.The story will introduce The Office to a whole new generation and will teach them that everyone needs to ask for help sometimes. Even Line Leaders.The Office is a trademark and copyright of Universal Content Productions LLC. Licensed by Universal Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.

One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time


Craig Brown - 2020
    At that point, we will be at the same distance in time from 1970 as 1970 was from 1920, the year Al Jolson's ‘Swanee’ was the bestselling record and Gustav Holst composed The Planets.The Beatles continue to occupy a position unique in popular culture. They have entered people's minds in a way that did not occur before, and has not occurred since. Their influence extended way beyond the realm of music to fashion, politics, class, religion and ethics. Countless books have doggedly catalogued the minutiae of The Beatles. If you want to know the make of George Harrison's first car you will always be able to find the answer (a second hand, two-door, blue Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe, purchased from Brian Epstein's friend Terry Doran, who worked at a dealership in Warrington). Before she met John Lennon, who was the only Beatle Yoko Ono could name, and why? Ringo. Because ‘ringo’ means ‘apple’ in Japanese. All very interesting, but there is, as yet, no book about The Beatles that combines the intriguing minutiae of their day-to-day lives with broader questions about their effect – complicated and fascinating – on the world around them, their contemporaries, and generations to come.Until now. Craig Brown's 1-2-3-4: The Beatles in Time is a unique, kaleidoscopic examination of The Beatles phenomenon – part biography, part anthropology, part memoir, by turns humorous and serious, elegiac and speculative. It follows the unique “exploded biography” form of his internationally bestselling, Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret.

HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style


Elizabeth Holmes - 2020
    With all eyes on them, the duchesses select clothes that send a message about their values, interests, and priorities. Their thoughtful sartorial strategies follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, two towering figures known for using their personal style to great acclaim.With one section devoted to each woman, HRH is a celebration of their stories and their style, pairing hundreds of gorgeous photographs with extensive research. A picture emerges of the British monarchy’s evolution and the power of royal fashion, showing there’s always more than what meets the eye.

The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History


Andy Greene - 2020
    . . or it might have been last night, when you watched three episodes in a row. But either way, fifteen years after the show first aired, it's more popular than ever, and fans have only one problem--what to watch, or read, next.Fortunately, Rolling Stone writer Andy Greene has that answer. In his brand-new oral history, The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Greene will take readers behind the scenes of their favorite moments and characters. Greene gives us the true inside story behind the entire show, from its origins on the BBC through its impressive nine-season run in America, with in-depth research and exclusive interviews. Fans will get the inside scoop on key episodes from "The Dundies" to "Threat Level Midnight" and "Goodbye, Michael," including behind-the-scenes details like the battle to keep it on the air when NBC wanted to pull the plug after just six episodes and the failed attempt to bring in James Gandolfini as the new boss after Steve Carell left, spotlighting the incredible, genre-redefining show created by the family-like team, who together took a quirky British import with dicey prospects and turned it into a primetime giant with true historical and cultural significance.Hilarious, heartwarming, and revelatory, The Office gives fans and pop culture buffs a front-row seat to the phenomenal sequence of events that launched The Office into wild popularity, changing the face of television and how we all see our office lives for decades to come.

The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Season One)


Phil Szostak - 2020
    Filled with concept art, sketches, and interviews with key crew and creatives, including executive producer/showrunner/writer Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Lion King) and executive producer/director Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels), The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian will provide readers with an exclusive and definitive look at a whole new universe of Star Wars characters, locations, and vehicles.The Mandalorian follows the adventures of galactic gunslinger Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and the Child (affectionately nick-named "Baby Yoda" by fans) as they traverse the outer systems of the galaxy and form unlikely partnerships with a ragtag group of mercenaries and outsiders – including Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune (Gina Carano), Ugnaught scavenger Kuil (Nick Nolte), and reprogrammed bounty droid IG-11 (Taika Waititi) as they're put on a collision course with the villainous Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito). In The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, readers will encounter early visual and conceptual ideas for these new characters and unexplored frontiers filled with crime syndicates, bounty hunters, and smugglers.Led by executive creative director Doug Chiang (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), the incomparable group of artists, designers, and dreamers known as the Lucasfilm art department "visualists" came together on this years-in-the-making Disney+ series to develop fresh takes on the iconic visual language of Star Wars. The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian is the only book to explore the artistic vision for this groundbreaking series, taking readers on a deep dive into the development of ineredible new worlds. Exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and the Lucasfilm visualists provide a running commentary on The Mandalorian's innovative art and design, revealing the inspiration behind the look and feel of the series.

Where Do You Think We Are?: Ten Illustrated Essays About Scrubs


Shea Serrano - 2020
    Ten Illustrated Essays About Scrubs

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Official Companion Guide


Jade Bacalso - 2020
    Your one-stop guide to a perfect island vacation is right here!Animal Crossing™: New Horizons takes you to a deserted island and lets you craft it into your own personal paradise inhabited by a unique, character-filled community. This premium book is both the perfect guide for getting the most out of island life, and the ultimate reference for anyone who insists on having it all.

Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World


Matt Alt - 2020
    Then a catastrophic 1990 stock-market crash ushered in what the Japanese call their "lost decades." The end of the boom times should have plunged Japan into irrelevance. But in Pure Invention, Matt Alt argues that's precisely when things got interesting--when once again, Japan got to the future a little ahead of the rest of us.Japan made itself rich after the Second World War by selling the world what it needed, in the form of better cars, appliances, and microprocessors. But it conquered hearts through wildly creative pop culture that responded to modern life in new ways. As social compacts and safety nets evaporated, in rushed a revolution of geeky gadgets, gizmos, and flights of fancy. Hello Kitty, the Nintendo Entertainment System, and illustrated entertainment empires like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z were more than marketing hits. They transformed Japan into the world's forge of fantasies, and they transformed us as we consumed them: karaoke making everyone a star, emoji rewriting the rules of human communication, virtual game-worlds offering escapes from reality and new perspectives on it.By turns a nostalgia trip and a secret history, Pure Invention is the story of an indelible group of Japanese craftsmen, artists, businesspeople, geniuses, and oddballs. It is also an unsung chapter of globalization, in which Japanese dreams formed a new blueprint for global pop culture--and may have created the modern world as we know it.

Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park


Andy Mulvihill - 2020
    Entertaining more than a million people a year in the 1980s, the New Jersey-based amusement playland placed no limits on danger or fun, a monument to the anything-goes spirit of the era that left guests in control of their own adventures--sometimes with tragic results. Though it closed its doors in 1996 after nearly twenty years, it has remained a subject of constant fascination ever since, an establishment completely anathema to our modern culture of rules and safety. Action Park is the first-ever unvarnished look at the history of this DIY Disneyland, as seen through the eyes of Andy Mulvihill, the son of the park's idiosyncratic founder, Gene Mulvihill. From his early days testing precarious rides to working his way up to chief lifeguard of the infamous Wave Pool to later helping run the whole park, Andy's story is equal parts hilarious and moving, chronicling the life and death of a uniquely American attraction, a wet and wild 1980s adolescence, and a son's struggle to understand his father's quixotic quest to become the Walt Disney of New Jersey. Packing in all of the excitement of a day at Action Park, this is destined to be one of the most unforgettable memoirs of the year.

Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life


Tom Fitzgerald - 2020
    In doing so, Drag Race became not only a repository of queer history and culture, but an examination and illustration of queer life in the modern age. It is a snapshot of how LGBTQ folks live, struggle, work and reach out to each other – and how they always have.

There'll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural


Lynn S. Zubernis - 2020
    Two brothers. Angels and demons. A story like no other. And one of the most passionate fan bases of all time. That’s Supernatural. There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural is an emotional look back at the beloved television show Supernatural as it wraps up its final season after fifteen unprecedented years on air.With heartfelt chapters written by both the series’ actors and its fans—plus full-color photos and fan illustrations—There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done traces Supernatural’s evolution, the memorable characters created by its writers and brought to life by its talented actors, and the many ways in which the show has inspired and changed the lives of both its viewers and cast.Both a celebration of Supernatural and a way of remembering what made it so special, this book is a permanent reminder of the legacy the show leaves behind and a reminder to the SPN Family to, like the series’ unofficial theme song says, “carry on.”Including contributions from: Jared Padalecki (“Sam Winchester”)Jensen Ackles (“Dean Winchester”)Richard Speight, Jr. (“Gabriel”)Andrea Drepaul (“Melanie”)Carrie Genzel (“Linda Bloome”/”Linda Berman”)Julie McNiven (“Anna Milton”)Tahmoh Penikett (“Gadreel”)Shoshannah Stern (“Eileen Leahy”)Brendan Taylor (“Doug Stover”)Lauren Tom (“Linda Tran”)And many more, including a special message from Mischa Collins ("Castiel")Edited by Lynn S. Zubernis, a clinical psychologist, professor, and passionate Supernatural fangirl, There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done is the ultimate send-off for this iconic show that has touched and changed the lives of so many fans across all walks of life.

Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy!


Claire McNear - 2020
    Nearly four decades into its current edition, Jeopardy! now finds itself facing unprecedented change.This is the chronicle of how the show became a cross-generational touchstone and where it’s going next. ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS dives deep behind the scenes, with longtime host Alex Trebek talking about his life and legacy and the show’s producers and writers explaining how they put together the nightly game. Readers will travel to bar trivia showdowns with the show’s biggest winners and training sessions with trivia whizzes prepping for their shot onstage. And they’ll discover new tales of the show’s most notable moments-like the time the Clue Crew almost slid off a glacier-and learn how celebrity cameos and Saturday Night Live spoofs built a television mainstay. ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS looks to the past — and the future — to explain what Jeopardy! really is: a tradition unlike any other.

Hollywood Propaganda: How TV, Movies, and Music Shape Our Culture


Mark Dice - 2020
    They are powerful vehicles that influence social and political trends, ultimately shaping the very fabric of our culture. Because of this potential, there are various agencies which work behind the scenes in Hollywood to harness these forces for their own aims or those of their clients.Few people outside the industry are aware that such agencies exist and are hired by advocacy groups to lobby studios, writers, and producers in order to get their ideas inserted into plots of popular works.These Hollywood lobbyists have been instrumental in successfully paving the path for same-sex marriage to become legal, destigmatizing abortion, encouraging mass immigration, and sounding the alarm about climate change; all under the cloak of mere “entertainment.”More recently we’ve seen these same powers levied against President Trump, his supporters, and used to demonize “white privilege” as an invisible enemy that’s supposedly around every corner.Even sports and late-night comedy shows are employed for political causes, violating the once unwritten cardinal rules of their industries. In this groundbreaking work, media analyst Mark Dice details the true power of entertainment and proves how it is being used to wage a psychological war against the world.

Elf: The Classic Illustrated Storybook


Kim Smith - 2020
    Then Buddy learns that he’s really a human—and his father is on the Naughty List! Determined to bring his dad some holiday cheer, he sets out for New York City. But when Santa encounters disaster on Christmas Eve, can Buddy count on his new family to help him save the day?Kim Smith’s adorable illustrations give a nostalgic feel to this modern holiday tale. Featuring all the iconic moments and laugh-out-loud lines from the film, this story of infectious joy in the face of cynicism is a must-have for all ages.

Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series


James Hibberd - 2020
    R. Martin himself (who calls it "an amazing read"), reveals the one Game of Thrones tale that has yet to be told: the thirteen-year behind-the-scenes struggle to make the show.Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon shares the incredible, thrilling, uncensored story of Game of Thrones, from the creators' first meetings with George R. R. Martin and HBO through the series finale, including all the on-camera battles, off-camera efforts, and the many controversies in between. The book also features more than fifty candid new interviews, rare and stunning photos, and unprecedented access to the producers, cast, and crew who took an impossible idea and made it into the biggest show in the world.

Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks


Adam Nayman - 2020
    In Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, Anderson’s entire career—from Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), and Phantom Thread (2017) to his music videos for Radiohead to his early short films—is examined in illustrated detail for the first time.   Anderson’s influences, his style, and the recurring themes of alienation, reinvention, ambition, and destiny that course through his movies are analyzed and supplemented by firsthand interviews with Anderson’s closest collaborators—including producer JoAnne Sellar, actor Vicky Krieps, and composer Jonny Greenwood—and illuminated by film stills, archival photos, original illustrations, and an appropriately psychedelic design aesthetic. Masterworks is a tribute to the dreamers, drifters, and evil dentists who populate his world.

Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms


Marc Freeman - 2020
    Professors have written about it. Psychologists have lectured on it. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and Washington Post, have explained their love for it. With funny, heartfelt and relatable stories about family, Modern Family has gained a worldwide following of hundreds of millions of viewers in countries as diverse as England, Israel, The Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa.As much as people love the show, few know the stories behind it. How did a kernel of an idea by Emmy-winning writers Steve Levitan and Chris Lloyd morph into a television juggernaut? Where did they find the cast? How did they come up with story ideas and film favorite episodes? What went on behind the scenes? Up until now, there have been individual stories and interviews about the show, but nothing comprehensive that captures the complete story of the series.Marc Freeman's Modern Family: The Untold Oral History of One of Television's Groundbreaking Sitcoms is the only major book ever written that explores this show as told by those who created it. More than seventy people, including the entire cast, crew, and creators, detail the full history of this iconic sitcom. The cast recalls their memories of the trials and tribulations of casting. They share their impressions from the first table read through the last light turning out. Writers, directors, and performers walk readers through storylines, production and favorite episodes. Guest stars such as Elizabeth Banks, Josh Gad, Adam Devine, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane recall their appearances on the show while others recount their experiences working with Kevin Hart, Barbara Streisand, Ed Norton and more. Readers get to go behind the scenes and experience the show like never before, including personal photos. They’ll also discover the never-told fallout and divorce of the two showrunners, making the show two separate series blended into one. Even people unfamiliar with the show will gain deep insight into what it takes to put a series on television.Typically, oral histories come out as retrospectives, based entirely on recall. This one will have the benefit of having the ending occur in real-time. From script development to final season (the 11th season will be the show's last) readers will get a glimpse of the cast’s relationships with each other and the emotions attached to saying goodbye to the best and longest-running workplace many of them expect to ever experience. Much like the series itself, this book shares a story of family, of conflict and collaboration, that went into this timeless, groundbreaking series.

Desert Oracle: Volume 1: Strange True Tales from the American Southwest


Ken Layne - 2020
    It became a radio show, a podcast, a live performance. Now, for the first time--and including both classic and new, never-before-seen revelations--Desert Oracle has been bound between two hard covers and is available to you.Straight out of Joshua Tree, California, Desert Oracle is "The Voice of the Desert" a field guide to the strange tales, singing sand dunes, sagebrush trails, artists and aliens, authors and oddballs, ghost towns and modern legends, musicians and mystics, scorpions and saguaros, out there in the sand. Desert Oracle is your companion at a roadside diner, around a campfire, in your tent or cabin (or high-rise apartment or suburban living room) as the wind and the coyotes howl outside at night.From journal entries of long-deceased adventurers to stray railroad ad copy, and musings on everything from desert flora, rumored cryptid sightings, and other paranormal phenomena, Ken Layne's Desert Oracle collects the weird and the wonderful of the American Southwest into a single, essential volume.

The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra


Adam Cesare - 2020
    The Dark Crystal Bestiary is a comprehensive volume that catalogs the many lifeforms of Thra’s unique ecosystem. Drawing from all aspects of the Dark Crystal saga’s universe, this book is visually dazzling and filled with enthralling information about all of Thra’s lifeforms, making it the definitive guide to a world of wonders. • Own the most comprehensive guide to the Dark Crystal universe: This book showcases fauna from all corners of Thra, from the vile Skeksis and their noble counterparts, the Mystics, to a whole cornucopia of amazing creatures and critters, including Landstriders, Garthim, Peeper Beetles, Fizzgigs, Pluff’m, and many more fan favorites. • Over 200 fantasy illustrations: Featuring all-new illustrations by Iris Compiet, a protégé of the original Dark Crystal concept artist, Brian Froud, this book will show you the world of Thra as you’ve never seen it before. • Learn about the world of Thra: The Dark Crystal Bestiary is packed with lore, drawing information from the original film, the hit Netflix show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, comic books, and novels. • An epic addition to your home library: Great for fantasy lovers, The Dark Crystal Bestiary will be a perfect addition to your bookshelf or coffee table.

The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe


Tara Bennett - 2020
    Year-by-year, project-by-project, the studio’s founding and meteoric growth are described through detailed personal stories, anecdotes, and remembrances of noteworthy challenges, breakthrough milestones, and history-making successes. Together, these stories reveal how each of the films evolved into one ongoing cinematic narrative, as coauthors Tara Bennett and Paul Terry (The Official Making of Big Trouble in Little China, 2017) chart the complete production history of The Infinity Saga’s 23 movies (from 2008’s Iron Man all the way up to, and including, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home).Bennett and Terry were granted unprecedented access to Marvel Studios, which led to this years-in-the-making tome containing personal stories from more than 200 interviews, including every Marvel Studios producer; MCU writers and directors; the stars of The Infinity Saga; concept artists, costume designers, composers, and the talents behind the MCU’s dazzling visual effects; and more. Featuring previously unpublished behind-the-scenes photography and archival production material, as well as personal photos and memorabilia from cast and crew, The Story of Marvel Studios is the essential, collectible chronicle of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe was brought to life.• 512 pages chart the entire history-making story of Marvel Studios—from its inception, through Phases One, Two, and Three, and to the dawn of Phase Four• Featuring more than 200 interviews with the studio’s staff, cast, and crew for all 23 movies in The Infinity Saga• Includes more than 500 production photos, plus never-before-seen filmmakers’ archival materials and personal memorabilia from the cast and crew• Deluxe two-volume, foil-stamped cloth hardcover set, featuring exclusive cover art by Ryan Meinerding (Marvel Studios Head of Visual Development)• Metallized reinforced slipcase with exclusive wrap-around MCU concept art montage, featuring art by Adi Granov, Ryan Meinerding, Andy Park, and Charlie Wen• Foreword by Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel)• Afterword by Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man)

Mutations: The Many Strange Faces of Hardcore Punk


Sam McPheeters - 2020
    And if someone has a strong belief about what punk is, odds are they have even stronger feelings about what punk is not.Sam McPheeters championed many different versions. Over the course of two decades, he fronted Born Against, released dozens of records and fanzines, and toured seventeen times across the northern hemisphere. In this collection of essays, profiles, criticism, and personal history, he examines the diverse realms he intersected―New York hardcore, Riot Grrrl, Gilman street, the hidden enclaves of Olympia, and New England, and downtown Los Angeles―and the forces of mental illness and creative inspiration that drove him, and others, in the first place.

The Heart of the Lion: A Novel of Irving Thalberg's Hollywood


Martin Turnbull - 2020
    He’s climbed all the way to head of production at newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and is determined to transform Leo the Lion into an icon of the most successful studio in town.The harder he works, the higher he soars. But at what cost? The more he achieves, the closer he risks flying into oblivion. A frail and faulty heart shudders inside this chest that blazes with ambition. Thalberg knows that his charmed life at the top of the Hollywood heap is a dangerous tightrope walk: each day—each breath, even—could be his last. Shooting for success means risking his health, friendships, everything. Yet, against all odds, the man no one thought would survive into adulthood almost single-handedly ushers in a new era of filmmaking.This is Hollywood at its most daring and opulent—the Sunset Strip, premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, stars like Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford—and Irving is at the center of it all.From the author of the Hollywood’s Garden of Allah novels comes a mesmerizing true-life story of the man behind Golden Age mythmaking: Irving Thalberg, the prince of Tinseltown.Martin Turnbull's Hollywood’s Garden of Allah novels have been optioned for the screen by film & television producer, Tabrez Noorani.

Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway


Michael Riedel - 2020
    The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the nineties, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent. American musical comedy made its grand return, culminating in The Producers, while plays, always an endangered species on Broadway, staged a powerful comeback with Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. A different breed of producers rose up to challenge the grip theater owners had long held on Broadway, and corporations began to see how much money could be made from live theater. And just as Broadway had clawed its way back into the mainstream of American popular culture, the September 11 attacks struck fear into the heart of Americans who thought Times Square might be the next target. But Broadway was back in business just two days later, buoyed by talented theater people intent on bringing New Yorkers together and supporting the economics of an injured city. “Told with all the wit and style readers could wish for” (Booklist) Michael Riedel presents the drama behind every mega-hit or shocking flop. From the bitter feuds to the surprising collaborations, all the intrigue of a revolutionary era in the Theater District is packed into Singular Sensation. Broadway has triumphs and disasters, but the show always goes on.

Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary


Sasha Geffen - 2020
    Glitter Up the Dark traces the history of this gender fluidity in pop music from the early twentieth century to the present day.Starting with early blues and the Beatles and continuing with performers such as David Bowie, Prince, Missy Elliot, and Frank Ocean, Geffen explores how artists have used music, fashion, language, and technology to break out of the confines mandated by gender essentialism and establish the voice as the primary expression of gender transgression. From glam rock and punk to disco, techno, and hip-hop, music helped set the stage for today's conversations about trans rights and recognition of nonbinary and third-gender identities. Glitter Up the Dark takes a long look back at the path that led here.

Hamilton: Portraits of the Revolution: Photographs from "the Room Where It Happened"


Josh Lehrer - 2020
    (Aaron Burr), Daveed Diggs (Lafayette), Phillipa Soo (Eliza Schuyler Hamilton), and Ren�e Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), along with personal commentary by the cast about Hamilton, their experiences, and the show's impact on them and the world. It includes contributions by creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Thomas Kail, as well as a curated collection of ephemera and original writings from the historical figures who served as the inspiration for their stage characters.With book, music, and lyrics by Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, and choreography by AndyBlankenbuehler, Hamilton is the story of an immigrant who became George Washington's right-hand man and the new nation's first treasury secretary.From "Broadway Babies" to history buffs to anyone who appreciates photography, this is the perfect book for the millions who have been moved by, and want to reexperience, the extraordinary theatrical and musical experience.

Descendants: Fright at the Museum


Delilah S. Dawson - 2020
    tournament--but before they can do that, they have to contend with a mysterious magical force that's making the artifacts in the Museum of Cultural History come to life!

Oh Cook!: 60 easy recipes that any idiot can make


James May - 2020
    James May Oh Cook! is a fool-proof manual packed with more than 60 delicious recipes for even the most basic of home cooks.In this TV tie-in, James May, star of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and Our Man in Japan, seeks to unpack the mysteries of cooking, unearthing the secrets behind the perfect poached egg, smooth custard and how to impress your friends and family with a Sunday roast and all the trimmings. Taking readers on a culinary tour (around his kitchen), James builds upon his cookery skills, recreating dishes from his travels as well as rediscovering some nostalgic childhood favourites along the way. Chapters include: Brunch, Pasta, Pub Grub, Roasts, Curry Night, Asian Fusion, The Great Outdoors, Spongey Things and Storecupboard Saviours (for when the fridge is empty), which includes recipes for his beloved Spam, as well as hints and tips.James May is here to prove that really anyone can cook. On his journey to becoming a more accomplished home cook, he makes use of his favourite trusted gadgets and ingredients and through some traditional trial and error so that you can avoid all the common pit falls at home. Oh Cook! is the trusty companion for anyone seeking to gain confidence in the kitchen and arm themselves with some tried and tested recipes all created and tweaked by James. Come for the Spotted Dick but stay for the Lamb Keema.

My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism


Titania McGrath - 2020
    . . If virtue-signalling wokery drives you as nuts as it drives me, you will love it' Piers Morgan'Required reading for anyone needing an antidote to the mass hysteria of humanity's latest religion' Entertainment FocusAfter the success of her debut Woke: A Guide to Social Justice, radical slam poet and intersectional feminist Titania McGrath has turned her talents to the realm of children's non-fiction. Aimed at activists from the age of six months to six years, Titania's book will help cultivate a new progressive generation. In a series of groundbreaking and poignant chapters, she will take you on a journey with some of the most inspiring individuals in history, such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Meghan Markle, Nelson Mandela, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Stalin. Praise for Woke:'Beautiful classic satire' Ricky Gervais'The latest genius twist in Britain's long tradition of satirical spoof' Daily Express 'Titania McGrath mercilessly satirises the Left's online umbrage brigade, the permanently offended, those who have taken on the role of policing thoughts and words to the point of absurdity' The Herald 'Hilarious' Evening Standard 'Hilarious' Spectator 'Hilarious' The Times 'Utterly unfunny' Peter Hitchens

Ballad of the Bullet: Gangs, Drill Music, and the Power of Online Infamy


Forrest Stuart - 2020
    Using such social media platforms as YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, they're capitalizing on the public's fascination with the ghetto and gang violence. But with what consequences? Ballad of the Bullet follows the Corner Boys, a group of thirty or so young men on Chicago's South Side who have hitched their dreams of success to the creation of "drill music" (slang for "shooting music"). Drillers disseminate this competitive genre of hyperviolent, hyperlocal, DIY-style gangsta rap digitally, hoping to amass millions of clicks, views, and followers--and a ticket out of poverty. But in this perverse system of benefits, where online popularity can convert into offline rewards, the risks can be too great.Drawing on extensive fieldwork and countless interviews compiled from daily, close interactions with the Corner Boys, as well as time spent with their families, friends, music producers, and followers, Forrest Stuart looks at the lives and motivations of these young men. Stuart examines why drillers choose to embrace rather than distance themselves from negative stereotypes, using the web to assert their supposed superior criminality over rival gangs. While these virtual displays of ghetto authenticity--the saturation of social media with images of guns, drugs, and urban warfare--can lead to online notoriety and actual resources, including cash, housing, guns, sex, and, for a select few, upward mobility, drillers frequently end up behind bars, seriously injured, or dead.Raising questions about online celebrity, public voyeurism, and the commodification of the ghetto, Ballad of the Bullet offers a singular look at what happens when the digital economy and urban poverty collide.

What Is the Story of Looney Tunes?


Steve Korté - 2020
    If you're a fan of Acme anvils and know that the question "What's up, Doc?" needs no answer, this history of the cartoon favorites Looney Tunes is for you!In the 1930s, Warner Brothers studios introduced the world to the Looney Tunes. A witty rabbit named Bugs, a stuttering pig named Porky, and an erratic duck named Daffy are just some of the characters that have left audiences hysterically laughing for almost a century. These animated short films, starring some of the most iconic cartoon characters in history, went on to have a second, long life on television.In this book, author Steve Korte details how these toons were imagined, which talented folks were tasked with animating and voicing them, the success the shows and films have garnered over the years, and what lies ahead for Bugs and the gang.

One Good Reason: A Memoir of Addiction and Recovery, Music and Love


Séan McCann - 2020
    Detailing, in powerful and lyrical prose, a childhood in Newfoundland indoctrinated in strict Catholic faith, the creation of the wildly successful Great Big Sea, his courtship and early marriage with Aragon, and the battle with alcoholism that nearly cost him everything, McCann offers readers a love story, a memoir of addiction and recovery, of young love and a strained marriage, of reaching international fame and rock bottom. But most of all, an honest, raw, and inspiring tribute to embracing that we are all worth saving. At the heart of this insightful coming-of-recovery is McCann's exploration of the root cause of his alcoholism, a secret he kept until 2014 when he came out as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Aragon's parallel narrative offers a rare and intimate spousal perspective, making the memoir a nuanced and complex portrait of the effects of addiction on family. Featuring lyrics from McCann's celebrated solo career and photographs of his life and career, as well as original line drawings from singer-songwriter and visual artist Meaghan Smith, One Good Reason is a rallying cry for holding on to the ones you love, helping yourself, and turning music into medicine.

A Very Special 90210 Book: 100 Essential Episodes from TV's Hottest Zip Code


Tara Ariano - 2020
    Join Tara Ariano and Sarah D. Bunting as they journey through the top 100 episodes of the series, covering everything from episode rankings to season overviews, character spotlights, and listicles. You’ll rediscover what you’ve forgotten and perhaps learn what you never knew. A Very Special 90210 Book is the perfect keepsake for every former teen fan (we know you’re out there) who wants to relive the good ol’ days at West Beverly.

Labyrinth: The ABC Storybook


Luke Flowers - 2020
    G is for the Goblin King, whose castle lies at the maze’s center. S is for Sarah, who must go on an incredible adventure to make it right. Only by journeying across the ABCs can our hero find her way through the labyrinth, with the help of fantastic creatures she meets along the way!Jim Henson, one of the greatest creative minds of our time, created a fantasy world unlike any other in Labyrinth. Now you can relive Sarah’s adventure through the alphabet with letters for each of the film’s unforgettable characters and many twists and turns. Featuring beautiful art by acclaimed illustrator Luke Flowers, this memorable retelling will delight fans of every age.An Imprint Book

Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond


David J. Skal - 2020
    Featured titles:Nosferatu (1922)Phantom of the Opera (1925)Dracula (1931)Frankenstein (1931)Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931)The Mummy (1933)Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)The Wolf Man (1941)Cat People (1942)Them (1953)Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)Curse of Frankenstein (1957)Horror of Dracula (1958)House on Haunted Hill (1959)The Birds (1963)Black Sunday (1960)Pit and the Pendulum (1961)The Haunting (1963)Night of the Living Dead (1968)Rosemary's Baby (1968)The Exorcist (1972)Young Frankenstein (1976)Halloween (1978)The Shining (1980)The Thing (1982)A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)Beetlejuice (1988)Hocus Pocus (1993)Scream (1996)Get Out (2017)

Kirby: Art & Style Collection


Joel Enos - 2020
    Featuring twenty-five years worth of sketches, artwork, Japanese video game box art, and more. With exclusive notes from creators and artists who have brought Kirby to life throughout the years.

The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can


Alan C. Logan - 2020
    Abagnale's story has captured the imagination of audiences around the world as a modern-day folk hero-but the truth could not be more different from the fictitious autobiography he sold to Hollywood. Self-proclaimed as "the world's greatest con man," the true dimensions of Abagnale's hoax are revealed for the first time in this dramatic true story.A shocking new reality emerges through the voices of victims, their families, and others who have seen the truth concealed by decades of deception. Their stories are now exquisitely woven into a tapestry of hard evidence and insights from his former manager, Mark Zinder. The result is a fast-paced drama filled with heroes, villains, mystery and intrigue, answered with unquestionable facts and official records-all definitively disproving Abagnale's longstanding claims of roaming the world as a "teenage millionaire imposter" and working for the District Attorney in Baton Rouge.

Wild Minds: The Artists and Rivalries That Inspired the Golden Age of Animation


Reid Mitenbuler - 2020
    McCay is largely forgotten today, but he unleashed an art form, and the creative energy of artists from Otto Messmer and Max Fleischer to Walt Disney and Warner Bros.' Chuck Jones. Their origin stories, rivalries, and sheer genius, as Reid Mitenbuler skillfully relates, were as colorful and subversive as their creations--from Felix the Cat to Bugs Bunny to feature films such as Fantasia--which became an integral part and reflection of American culture over the next five decades.Pre-television, animated cartoons were aimed squarely at adults; comic preludes to movies, they were often "little hand grenades of social and political satire." Early Betty Boop cartoons included nudity; Popeye stories contained sly references to the injustices of unchecked capitalism. "During its first half-century," Mitenbuler writes, "animation was an important part of the culture wars about free speech, censorship, the appropriate boundaries of humor, and the influence of art and media on society." During WWII it also played a significant role in propaganda. The Golden Age of animation ended with the advent of television, when cartoons were sanitized to appeal to children and help advertisers sell sugary breakfast cereals.Wild Minds is an ode to our colorful past and to the creative energy that later inspired The Simpsons, South Park, and BoJack Horseman.

Wizards & Spells


Jim Zub - 2020
    Featuring easy-to-follow and entertaining explanations of how spells are created and used in the game, along with original illustrations of the game's essential magical characters, this book shines a spotlight on the mystical side of D&D.The perfect jumping-on point for young fans of fantasy looking to give D&D a try, Wizards and Spells also features prompts to encourage creative problem-solving skills in the dangerous situations that may be encountered in a Dungeons & Dragons adventure.

Doctor Who: The Runaway Tardis (Pop Classics 8)


Rebecca Gyllenhaal - 2020
    After accidentally stowing away in the TARDIS, she meets the Doctor, a mysterious woman who claims to be a time-traveling space alien. When the TARDIS malfunctions, Lizzie and the Doctor are sent catapulting through time and space, visiting the pyramids, the dinosaurs, an alien planet, and more. Along the way, Lizzie learns that making new friends isn’t so hard after all . . . but will she ever be able to get back home? Featuring Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor and an adorable new alien species, this sweet storybook is a must-have for Whovians everywhere, young and old alike.

Star Wars: The Jedi Mind: Peace, Knowledge, Harmony, and Other Lessons of the Force


Amy Ratcliffe - 2020
    and ™. All Rights Reserved. Used Under Authorization.

Natalie Wood: The Complete Biography


Suzanne Finstad - 2020
    Natalie Wood has been hailed alongside Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor as one of the top three female movie stars in film history. We watched her mature on the movie screen before our eyes in classics such as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass, and West Side Story. But the story of what she endured, of what her life was like when the doors of the soundstages closed, had long been obscured.Based on years of astonishing research, Natalie Wood (previously published as Natasha) raises the curtain on Wood's turbulent life. Award-winning author Suzanne Finstad conducted nearly four hundred interviews with Natalie Wood's family, close friends, legendary costars, lovers, film crews, and virtually everyone connected to her death. Through these firsthand accounts, Finstad reconstructs a life of emotional abuse and exploitation, of unimaginable fame, great loneliness, and loss. She reveals painful truths in Wood's complex relationships with James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, and, of course, Robert Wagner.Thirty years after Natalie Wood's death, the L.A. Sheriff's Department reopened the investigation into her drowning using Finstad's groundbreaking research and chilling, hour-by-hour timeline of that tumultuous weekend as evidence. Within a year, the L.A. Coroner changed Natalie Wood's death certificate from "Accidental Drowning" to "Drowning and Other Undetermined Factors." In 2018, the LAPD officially named Wagner a "Person of Interest" in Wood's death.In this updated edition, Finstad will share her explosive findings from the last two decades. With her unprecedented access to the LAPD's "Murder Book," ignored by the original investigators, and new witnesses who have never spoken publicly, Finstad uncovers what really happened to Natalie Wood on that fateful boating trip in 1981 with Wagner and Christopher Walken. She expands on intimate details from Wood's unpublished memoir, which affirms her fear of drowning and the betrayal by Wagner that shattered their first marriage.Finstad tells this heartbreaking story with sensitivity and grace, revealing a complex and conflicting mix of fragility and strength in a woman who was swept along by forces few could have resisted.

The Wendys


Allison Benis White - 2020
    A series of epistolary poems addressed to Wendy O. Williams becomes an occasion for the speaker to eulogize as well as reflect on the singer’s life and eventual suicide: “What kind of love is death, I’m asking?” In the section devoted to Wendy Torrance, the fictional wife from The Shining who was bludgeoned by her husband, the speaker muses on the inadequacy of language to resolve or even contain grief in the wake of trauma: “A book is a coffin. Hoarsely. A white sheet draped over the cage of being.” Ultimately, The Wendys is a book of silences and space in which tenderness and violence exist in exquisite tension. “If to speak is to die,” White writes in “Ignis Fatuus,” “I will whisper.”

The Wisdom of Picard: An Official Star Trek Collection


Chip Carter - 2020
    Now, you can finally ponder all of his wisdom in one place—from his thoughts on leadership and sense of duty to justice and the limitlessness of exploration—in The Wisdom of Picard. Journey with the Starfleet captain through his seven seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation to the Star Trek movies to the current series Star Trek: Picard. The Wisdom of Picard boldly goes where no book has gone before to log Picard’s timeless advice in one impressive collection, perfect for Star Trek fans everywhere! Make it so!

No Encore for the Donkey


Doug Stanhope - 2020
    Iconoclast. Apostate. Drunk. Many words have been used to describe Doug Stanhope, but rarely has “hopeful” been one of them. However, heading into 2016, Stanhope peered through the apocalyptic fog and saw a forecast that was more rainbows than acid rain: His first book was set for release, his new stand-up special was in the can, and he was about to film a television pilot with his friend and confidant Johnny Depp. The sharks of Hollywood were circling, and Stanhope’s pockets were filled with chum. The only thing that could stop Doug was himself, and that’s exactly what he did.First came the booze, then came the pills, then came the stripper, and then, Doug came. A tryst aboard a cruise ship leaves him literally and figuratively adrift when his scorned wife, Bingo, reveals she is in love with another man: a jug-sippin’, guitar-pickin’ hobo. A simple, black-out fling turns out to be a pebble tossed into the lake of you-know-what named 2016, and in No Encore for the Donkey, Stanhope traces the resulting rings.Written and performed by Stanhope, his third memoir follows the veteran comedian on a quest to save his marriage, his wife, and eventually his wife’s life. Our hero's journey finds Stanhope cuddling with Johnny Depp in his Los Angeles mansion, receiving some much-needed TLC from Marilyn Manson, and - most daunting - building a new hour of comedy in the rusted-out hellscapes of post-industrial America.Equal parts love letter, road romp, and harrowing condemnation of the failures of America’s mental health care system, No Encore for the Donkey is a hilarious and heartbreaking account of a man balancing on the edge of damnation. With Bingo in a coma and Trump about to be elected, Stanhope sifts through the ruins of his own personal cataclysm in order to answer the big questions: What does it mean to love someone when you can’t love yourself? What is the point of success if you have no one to share it with? And is the end of the world BYOB?

Idol Limerence: The Art of Loving BTS as Phenomena


Wallea Eaglehawk - 2020
    Eaglehawk delves deep into the socially constructed, intimate relationships between South Korean idols and their fans to contextualise her transformative, revolutionary theory of idol limerence. Eaglehawk builds on Dorothy Tennov’s psychological concept of limerence, an all-consuming love and emotional attachment to another person. With the introduction and theorising of the self-reflexive, socially constructed idol persona, Eaglehawk brings limerence into the 21st century and places it in the realms of social studies for the first time. Within the theory of idol limerence lies the answers for how relationships with idols are formed and maintained, and also the transformational and revolutionary capacity of fandoms around the world.Teamed with her groundbreaking research and theorising is the fictitious narrative of Echo, a young millennial woman who finds herself falling in love with BTS from across the vastness of the internet. This book seamlessly weaves social theory and a love story which spans this universe, and the next. Idol Limerence is bridging the gap between scholarly and general audiences with a book of introspection, healing and universal experiences. This book provides a study of the microcosm of humankind with the relationship between Echo and BTS leader, RM, who guides her through exploring the inner workings of her psyche to the beat of a BTS song.

Gorillaz Almanac


Ed Caruana - 2020
    Jammed with exclusive new artwork, including the first ever strip to star 2D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals and Russel Hobbs; puzzles, games and more; plus a raft of special guest appearances from Gorillaz collaborators past and present, the Gorillaz Almanac is a compendium of delights which finally puts the most real band around on the printed page.

It's a Wonderful Life: The Illustrated Holiday Classic


Paul Ruditis - 2020
    The heartwarming story of George Bailey and the guardian angel (second class) who shows George that his acts of compassion and kindness have changed his town of Bedford Falls for the better has become a Christmastime favorite enjoyed by generations of families. This engaging illustrated storybook retells the tale of the 1946 classic film through charming original artwork and allows readers to return to the town of Bedford Falls to watch George dream big, fall in love, and learn the important lesson that “no man is a failure who has friends.” Just like the film, this picture book can be enjoyed by the whole family and is the perfect gift for the holidays.

The Peanuts Book: A Visual History of the Iconic Comic Strip


Simon Beecroft - 2020
    Schulz's Peanuts has been charming the world for more than 70 years.In this celebration of Schulz and his beloved work, explore rarely seen sketches, influential comic strips, and collectors' artifacts. Pore over evolving artworks of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang. Chart the rich history of Peanuts as it grew to become the world's favorite comic, and travel from 1950 to the present day, from California to Japan. Every page of this visual guide is an exhibition to treasure. Discover the enduring and nostalgic charm of Peanuts in this stunning anniversary book.With a foreword by Stephen Colbert.(c) 2020 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

A New Day Yesterday: UK Progressive Rock & The 1970s


Mike Barnes - 2020
    He examines the myths and misconceptions that have grown up around progressive rock and paints a vivid, colourful picture of the Seventies based on hundreds of hours of his own interviews with musicians, music business insiders, journalists and DJs, and from the personal testimonies of those who were fans of the music in that extraordinary decade.

West Side Story: The Jets, the Sharks, and the Making of a Classic


Richard Barrios - 2020
    In this engrossing volume, film historian Richard Barrios recounts how the drama and rivalries seen onscreen played out to equal intensity behind-the-scenes, while still achieving extraordinary artistic feats.The making and impact of West Side Story has so far been recounted only in vestiges. In the pages of this book, the backstage tale comes to life along with insight on what has made the film a favorite across six decades: its brilliant use of dance as staged by erstwhile co-director Jerome Robbins; a meaningful story, as set to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's soundtrack; the performances of a youthful ensemble cast featuring Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, and more; a film with Shakespearean roots (Romeo and Juliet) that is simultaneously timeless and current. West Side Story was a triumph that appeared to be very much of its time; over the years it has shown itself to be eternal.

Queen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track


Benoît Clerc - 2020
    The writing and recording process of each and every track is dissected, discussed, and analyzed by author Benoît Clerc, and page after page features fascinating and sometimes rarely seen images of the band.Queen All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the band and their music. This one-of-a-kind book draws upon decades of research and recounts the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, as well as the recording process, and the instruments used. Featuring hundreds of photographs, including rare black-and-white publicity stills, images of instruments used by the band, and engaging shots of the musicians in-studio, Queen All the Songs is the must-have book for any true fan of classic rock.

Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema


Lindy West - 2020
    In Shit, Actually, Lindy returns to those roots, re-examining beloved and iconic movies from the past 40 years with an eye toward the big questions of our time: Is Twilight the horniest movie in history? Why do the zebras in The Lion King trust Mufasa-WHO IS A LION-to look out for their best interests? Why did anyone bother making any more movies after The Fugitive achieved perfection? And, my god, why don't any of the women in Love, Actually ever fucking talk?!?!From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humor with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones-the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are. At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook.Shit, Actually is a love letter and a break-up note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.

Norse Myths That Inspired Final Fantasy VII


M.J. Gallagher - 2020
    Since its inception, its titles have adopted names, themes and stories from across global mythology, including the beliefs of the Vikings.This book embarks on a detailed exploration of how Norse lore in particular influenced the writing and design of Final Fantasy VII – arguably the most critically-acclaimed of the franchise – and its wider compilation.Why is Midgar the political centre of the Planet, and Nibelheim the home of Cloud Strife?How are the Odin Materia, the Rune Blade and Vincent Valentine connected?What are the parallels between Ragnarok and the fall of the Shinra Corporation?These questions and many more will be examined and answered by award-winning community author M. J. Gallagher. Suitable for newcomers and enthusiasts alike.This book has not been approved, licensed, or sponsored by any entity or person involved in creating or producing Final Fantasy®, the videogames, films, or publications.

George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters


Ashley Kahn - 2020
    Though known as the “Quiet Beatle,” Harrison was arguably the most thoughtful and certainly the most outspoken of the famous four. This compendium of his words and ideas proves that point repeatedly, revealing his passion for music, his focus on spirituality, and his responsibility as a  celebrity, as well as a sense of deep commitment and humor.

This Is a Book for People Who Love the Royals


Rebecca Stoeker - 2020
     Full of fun facts and surprising stories to delight longtime enthusiasts and new fans alike, This Is a Book for People Who Love the Royalsdigs into all of the aspects of everyone's favorite monarchy. Uncover the history of British royalty and answers to common questions -- like how royal titles work, who is in the line of succession, and why the guards at Buckingham Palace never smile -- as well as deep dives into fashion, jewelry, and other palace perks. Profiles of popular family members, including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and more, add personality to this irresistible celebration of the crown.

The Orville #1: Launch Day


David A. Goodman - 2020
    

Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop


Nate Patrin - 2020
    Bring That Beat Back traces the development of this transformative pop-cultural practice from its origins in the turntable-manning, record-spinning hip-hop DJs of 1970s New York through forty years of musical innovation and reinvention.Nate Patrin tells the story of how sampling built hip-hop through the lens of four pivotal artists: Grandmaster Flash as the popular face of the music’s DJ-born beginnings; Prince Paul as an early champion of sampling’s potential to elaborate on and rewrite music history; Dr. Dre as the superstar who personified the rise of a stylistically distinct regional sound while blurring the lines between sampling and composition; and Madlib as the underground experimentalist and record-collector antiquarian who constantly broke the rules of what the mainstream expected from hip-hop. From these four artists’ histories, and the stories of the people who collaborated, competed, and evolved with them, Patrin crafts a deeply informed, eminently readable account of a facet of pop music as complex as it is commonly underestimated: the aesthetic and reconstructive power of one of the most revelatory forms of popular culture to emerge from postwar twentieth-century America. And you can nod your head to it.

Off the Walls: Inspired Re-Creations of Iconic Artworks


Sarah Waldorf - 2020
    . . Van Gogh’s Starry Night made out of spaghetti? Cat with a Pearl Earring? Frida Kahlo self-portraits with pets and toilet paper? While the world reeled from the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), thousands of people around the globe, inspired by challenges from Getty and other museums, raided toy chests, repurposed pantry items, and enlisted family, roommates, and animals to re-create famous works of art at home. Astonishing in their creativity, wit, and ingenuity, these creations remind us of the power of art to unite us and bring joy during troubled times. Off the Walls: Inspired Re-Creations of Iconic Artworks celebrates these imaginative re-creations, bringing highlights from this challenge together in one whimsical, irresistible volume. Getty Publications will donate all profits from the sale of this book to a charity supporting art and artists.

F*cks to Give: 201 Reasons to Give a Sh*t


L.T. Jenness - 2020
    Yeah, yeah, we know it sounds like another line, but gratitude really can improve your overall attitude and have profound effects on your life. Real-life, actual scientific studies have found that people who regularly practice gratitude and write about it have better relationships and are healthier and happier than people who don’t.Use this journal to dig deep to find your f*cks, or focus on the ones right in front of your face. Sometimes you’ll want to fill pages with paragraphs, while other times a simple list will do. Skip around and work on the prompts that speak to you in the moment. Thoughtful quotes from superwise and bad*ss people will inspire you, while quick tips, tricks, and suggestions for maximizing all that latent gratitude will help you make the most of even the sh*ttiest day.Even when life ships you crates of lemons, you can still make one superstrong vodka lemonade and find that there are a whole lot of reasons to give a sh*t. Now let’s find those f*cks, one by one.

The Orville #2: Launch Day (Part 2 of 2)


David A. Goodman - 2020
    

Monster Hunter World: The Official Complete Works


Various - 2020
    Dive into this monstrously massive compendium and explore all of the hunting fields, monsters, weaponry and lore that turned Capcom’s beloved Monster Hunter franchise into a global hit!Monster Hunter: World is one of the biggest games to release in years, and an epic game deserves an epic book! Explore the world of Monster Hunter firsthand with detailed commentary from the producers, beautiful reproductions of designs and concept art, spotlights on the weapons you can forge, and a trek through the story of the game—from the moment the Fifth Fleet made landfall in the New World all the way through the end of their hunt for Zorah Magdaros and their investigation of the Elder Crossing!

Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre


Alison PeirseKatarzyna Paszkiewicz - 2020
    These assumptions are based on decades of flawed scholarly, critical, and industrial thinking about the genre. Women Make Horror sets right these misconceptions. Women have always made horror. They have always been an audience for the genre, and today, as this book reveals, women academics, critics, and filmmakers alike remain committed to a film genre that offers almost unlimited opportunities for exploring and deconstructing social and cultural constructions of gender, femininity, sexuality, and the body.Women Make Horror explores narrative and experimental cinema; short, anthology, and feature filmmaking; and offers case studies of North American, Latin American, European, East Asian, and Australian filmmakers, films, and festivals. With this book we can transform how we think about women filmmakers and genre.

14 Miles: Building the Border Wall


DW Gibson - 2020
    In San Diego, the Army Corps of engineers completed two years of construction on a 14-mile steel beamed barrier that extends eighteen-feet high and cost a staggering $147 million. As one border patrol agent told reporters visiting the site, “It was funded and approved and it was built under his administration. It is Trump’s wall.” 14 Miles is a definitive account of all the dramatic construction, showing readers what it feels like to stand on both sides of the border looking up at the imposing and controversial barrier. After the Department of Homeland Security announced an open call for wall prototypes in 2017, DW Gibson, an award-winning journalist and Southern California native, began visiting the construction site and watching as the prototype samples were erected. Gibson spent those two years closely observing the work and interviewing local residents to understand how it was impacting them. These include April McKee, a border patrol agent leading a recruiting program that trains teenagers to work as agents; Jeff Schwilk, a retired Marine who organizes pro-wall rallies as head of the group San Diegans for Secure Borders; Roque De La Fuente, an eccentric millionaire developer who uses the construction as a promotional opportunity; and Civile Ephedouard, a Haitian refugee who spent two years migrating through Central America to the United States and anxiously awaits the results of his asylum case. Fascinating, propulsive, and incredibly timely, 14 Miles is an important work that explains not only how the wall has reshaped our landscape and countless lives but also how its shadow looms over our very identity as a nation.

LEGO Small Parts: The Secret Life of Minifigures


Aled Lewis - 2020
    Whether they are out at poker night, a first date, or group therapy, you'll find that the lives of minifigures are not so different from our own—just without the fingers and noses.• This comic take on an iconic brand will tickle the fancy of anyone who has ever clicked two bricks together.• Loaded with inside references and jokes for adult LEGO fans—even the title is a play on the warning label on all LEGO products• The perfect gift for nostalgic parents who want to share a funny moment with their LEGO-loving kidsLEGO Small Parts is a look at the humorous and all-too human world of the LEGO minifigure. • Great for adult LEGO fans who are feeling nostalgic, as well as new fans ages 10+ who are just beginning their LEGO obsession• Add it to the collection of books like T-Rex Trying by Hugh Murphy, Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown, and Toy Confidential: The Secret Life of Snarky Toys by Aled Lewis

To Hell And Back: my life in Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, in the words of the last man standing


Walter Lure - 2020
    Walter Lure was--from the band's chaotic beginnings on New York's Lower East Side, through a now-legendary UK tour with the Sex Pistols and the Clash, and on to a yearlong stay in London--eyewitness and midwife to the birth of UK punk. Now, he tells his story in To Hell and Back, a thrilling ride through the clubs and dives of two continents, in the company of one of the most notorious junkies in rock 'n' roll history. Drawing from his own contemporary journals, Lure paints a vivid portrait of life in both cities, during perhaps the most crucial musical uprising of the past forty years...the music, the characters, the clothes, the fights, the drugs, the orgies, the lot. Lure lays bare his own battle with drugs, and reflects upon his life after the band's split--rising to become a Wall Street fixture yet still finding time to make music.

Feminist Stitches: Cross Stitch Kit with 12 Fierce Designs - Includes: 6" Embroidery Hoop, 10 Skeins of Embroidery Floss, 2 Pieces of Cross Stitch Fabric, Cross Stitch Needle


Haley Pierson-Cox - 2020
    Decorate your home with framed pieces or use the patterns to personalize items like denim jackets and backpacks. The kit includes twelve fun and original patterns featuring various designs and quotes that have been popularized by the feminist movement, plus the supplies needed to make two finished projects. The book offers step-by-step instructions with full-color photographs of the finished projects. Cross-stitch patterns include:The Centennial Suffragette SignWe Can Do ItPussy PowerWell Behaved Women Seldom Make History Girl Just Want to Have Fundamental Human RightsR.I.P. Gender Roles Don't Tell Me to SmileNot Your Babe The Future is FemaleSmash the Patriarchy I Dissent Resist

We Promised You a Great Main Event: An Unauthorized WWE History


Bill Hanstock - 2020
    Unrestricted. No holds barred.In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars.WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena.We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.

Sleeping Around in America: Revisiting the Roadside Motel


Andrew Beattie - 2020
    Meet the moteliers creating the experience for a new generation to enjoy. The stories and photographs in Sleeping Around in America give readers an opportunity to rekindle fond memories of family vacations, road trips and childhood experiences while providing a roadmap of motels where they can travel to today.A book to satisfy armchair travellers, American pop-culture enthusiasts and nostalgia seeking adventure romantic explorers.

The Orville #3: Heroes (Part 1 of 2)


David A. Goodman - 2020
    Stymied by the Planetary Union's hesitance to provoke hostilities, Talla must consider how far she's willing to go to help these people and the repercussions of doing so. Written by The Orville executive producer David A. Goodman!

Wheatfield Empire: The Listener's Guide to The Guess Who


Robert Lawson - 2020
    

The Drudge Revolution


Matthew Lysiak - 2020
    The internet blogger equipped with no more than a high school education has been credited for everything from the impeachment of President Bill Clinton to the death of print news and the election of President Donald Trump. Carl Bernstein went so far as to call Drudge an “influence unequaled” in American politics.But nearly 20 years after first bursting into the mainstream of American consciousness with his groundbreaking role in the investigation of President Clinton, remarkably little remains known about the man behind the keyboard or the improbable rise that ushered in a new era of media.In The Drudge Revolution, investigative journalist and author of Newtown: An American Tragedy Matthew Lysiak pulls back the curtain on the world’s most powerful journalist, for the first time telling the inside story of how one man’s visionary belief in the potential of the internet, coupled with the post–Fairness Doctrine growth of conservative talk radio and the rise of cable news and social media, created the perfect storm that seized the narrative from the mainstream media and ushered in the presidency of Donald Trump.Never-before-seen details include:- Newly uncovered information about Matt’s early life, including exclusive interviews with his friends.- Exclusive interviews with Joseph Curl, longtime friend and editor of the Drudge Report, who breaks his silence for the first time. - Revealing details about Drudge’s relationship with Andrew Breitbart, the creation of Breitbart.com, and a “pay-to-play” scheme employed by both the Drudge Report and Breitbart.- Emails from Matt to the Trump campaign, showing his close working hand in helping win the campaign of 2016, his role as advisor to the president, his relationship with Jared Kushner, and his role ousting Steve Bannon.- Personal information about how much longer Matt will continue at the helm of the world’s most powerful web aggregator.Based on extensive research nearly 200 personal interviews, The Drudge Revolution is the definitive portrait of the most powerful man in media, and his outsized impact on our world today.

These Poems Are Not What They Seem


Kristin GarthSara Matson - 2020
    The book measures 8" x 5", contains color illustrations, a matte textured cover and is saddle stapled.Some words about the anthology from the publisher and the editors:"To say that Twin Peaks was an inspiration for me personally is an understatement. It was a creative right of passage. A vision not just of an artist at the height of his craft, but of a time and place, a version of American life and love and suffering that could never be real, yet somehow was more real than anything I’d ever seen. The contributors to this anthology have also experienced this right of passage. They have loved, as I have loved, an impossible story of humanity and inhumanity, of a cosmic malevolence subverting every mundane aspect of domestic life, and of the devout few who struggle to understand and combat the darkest impulses and machinations of the universe. They have rendered this love, this fascination and passion here into verse."Jeremy Gaulke, APEP Publications"These Poems Are Not What They Seem — they are love letters to a piece of art and the characters that inhabit it. It is a television show that opened the floodgates of inspiration for those of us who felt small or weird or dead. It is a river that nourishes endlessly as it floats us and our offerings towards another generation of seventeen-year-olds seeking survival and self-awareness in art. Much like the oil that is spilled to make the gateway to the Black or White Lodges, our contributors spilled dark ink and it opened a door. Turn the page, like a knob, and see where it takes you."Kristin Garth, Editor"Love, lust, drugs, coffee, pie, music. But also demons and things that shouldn’t talk. Are you monster or man? Are you girl or body bag? How do you make it through the night without losing your mind because of the mysteries? But also how do you pick up your pieces in the morning and go to school? Or work? Can you even stop the mysteries from following you? These are poems about people trying to tell their stories. For good and for bad."Justin Karcher, Editor

Better Than IRL: True Stories About Finding Your People On The Untamed Internet


Katie West - 2020
    There once was a time when you could start a blog post with “Dear Magic Hotel” and find a couch to crash on in a town where you didn’t otherwise know anyone. A time when you could find a place to put the writing that was too personal to print out for your writing group to critique. Which was great, even if you suddenly realised a lot of people were reading about you losing your virginity. It was the good ol’ days of tweet-ups and meeting fellow nerds and wine lovers. It was a time when the internet meant never having to drink alone. It was a time when you, a shy and unpopular kid, grew to be relaxed in your own skin and discovered you were famous on the internet, maybe because you got stuck in a hole with your dog and then Twitter had to save you. It was a time when you could find friends who shared your passion for Digimon, no matter where in the world they were located. When we felt disconnected or neglected by our partners, during this time we could have friends halfway across the world reach their digital arms around us as we cried.There once was a time when the internet felt better than IRL. This book is about that time. Better Than IRL will be a collection of true stories written by people who fostered connection and sharing on the internet. True stories like the ones above, which will all be included in the collection. The book will be personal and hopeful. It won't be nostalgic moaning about how the internet isn't what it once was—it will discuss how it made us into who we are now and how we can take the lessons we learned about inclusion and belonging to be better people going forward. With talented authors from Canada, South Africa, Pakistan, USA, Singapore, UK, and Liberia, the book covers a wide array of experiences with the beginnings of the Web 2.0.

Don't Give Money to People Who Hate You


Brian Neimeier - 2020
    Everybody’s wrong.You know that the big movie studios, comic book companies, and video game publishers push an agenda. What you don’t know is that the corporations in control of your entertainment aren’t grifters or ideologues. They’re evangelists of a fanatical anti-religion.Movie producers don’t ruin beloved film franchises for profit. Comic book writers don’t warp iconic superheroes into self-parodies to sway voters. They hate their audiences with zealous fervor. They want you demoralized, they want your kids propagandized, and they want you to pay for the privilege.Nostalgia-fueled habit keeps many of these cultists’ victims coming back for more abuse. But you can escape the cycle. In this book you’ll see how the corrupt entertainment industry hooks its customers, and you’ll gain the tools to reclaim your dignity from the Pop Cult.Learn to stop paying people who hate you, take back your life, and have fun while you’re at it! Read on!

Clueless: A Totally Classic Picture Book


G.M. Berrow - 2020
    When a new -- very unique, grunge-chic, and possibly clueless -- girl named Tai comes along, Cher and Dionne take her under their wings. They tell her how to dress and what hobbies to take up to be a part of their friend group. But Tai really likes skateboarding, baggy clothes, and wants to hang out more with the group of skateboarders. Cher and Dionne try a variety of ways to change Tai, alongside a cast of characters including Murray, Amber, Travis, Summer, Elton, and Miss Geist. But in the end, they realize that people are different and that's what makes them so cool!

BTS and ARMY Culture


Lee Jeeheng - 2020
    This book started from the wish to apply the perspective of a cultural studies scholar in order to investigate the fandom ARMY as a most ardent outcome to arise from a “community of taste.” On a personal level, the most pressing question was which vantage point to assume for myself. While research is a language of rigorous logic, criticism is a language of warm interpretation―or in the words of Terry Eagleton, “a sensitivity to the thickness and intricacy of the medium.” If research is to approach something through objectivity and tested theories, this book can be understood as a work of criticism for general readers, written by an Aca-Fan (academic and fan) who lets her affection shine through. BTS and ARMY Culture illuminates how ARMY, which is a kind of imaginary community of BTS-loving fans, has created epistemic distance towards standard K-pop culture and cements BTS’ status in global mainstream music via tangible fan practices. To this aim, I analyze social media and online fan communities that serve as discursive spaces for ARMY, and observe in particular how ARMY forges BTS’ cultural status by compromising and negotiating with mass media that hold cultural power. This book revolves around these general aspects, and rather than posing as a work of theoretical criticism, its identity resembles an archival document that captures the dynamics of ARMY in the contemporary cultural landscape. For ARMY, I hope that this book is valuable as a neat documentation of their achievements. To those who are curious about ARMY, I hope that this book can serve as a ‘full-scale anatomy of ARMY.’

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance: The Quest for the Dual Glaive


Jeffrey Addiss - 2020
    To save her village, the Stonewood Maudra sends her greatest warrior, Ordon, to the Tomb of Relics to retrieve a mythical weapon that promises to turn the tide of the war. But when he meets young Fara, the two must find a way to work together to retrieve a legendary weapon—The Dual Glaive—before their village is destroyed by the deadly Arathim.AN OFFICIAL PREQUEL TO THE HIT NETFLIX SERIES! Thirty trine before the Age of Resistance, the Arathim Wars are in full swing. To save her village, the Stonewood Maudra sends her greatest warrior, Ordon, to the Tomb of Relics to retrieve a mythical weapon that promises to turn the tide of the war. But when he meets young Fara, the two must find a way to work together to retrieve a legendary weapon—The Dual Glaive—before their village is destroyed by the deadly Arathim. Based on a story by Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series writers, Will Matthews & Jeff Addiss, Nicole Andelfinger (Lumberjanes) and Matias Basla (Sparrowhawk) present an official prequel to the next chapter of the pop culture phenomenon, now streaming on Netflix. Collects Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #1-4.

Her Stories: Daytime Soap Opera and US Television History


Elana Levine - 2020
    In Her Stories, Elana Levine draws on archival research and her experience as a longtime soap fan to provide an in-depth history of the daytime television soap opera as a uniquely gendered cultural form and a central force in the economic and social influence of network television. Closely observing the production, promotion, reception, and narrative strategies of the soaps, Levine examines two intersecting developments: the role soap operas have played in shaping cultural understandings of gender and the rise and fall of broadcast network television as a culture industry. In so doing, she foregrounds how soap operas have revealed changing conceptions of gender and femininity as imagined by and reflected on the television screen.

The Orville: Heroes Part 2 of 2


David A. Goodman - 2020
    

Philosophizing About BTS


Cha Minju - 2020
     This is the founding principle of Philosophizing About BTS, author Cha Min-joo's thorough exploration of BTS' messages through the lenses of 20 great names in philosophy, including Nietzsche, Hegel, Deleuze, and Adorno. 1. BTS are known as the Zarathustra of the 21st century. Their young spirits help shed light on such issues as consumption-oriented culture, the shackling of youth to the status quo, the modern dichotomy of classes (those born with a silver spoon and those without), and the system that refuses to allow young people to break out of the social system and become the owners of their own lives. This book uses the great thinkers of our time—John Rawls, Hannah Arendt, Maurizio Lazzarato, and Hans Peter Martin, among others—to illuminate the messages BTS put forth in their music. 2. Since their inception, BTS have been singing of the importance of having not only a dream, but the courage to grasp it. This book examines BTS' messages encouraging young people to examine the dreams they hold in their hearts. It draws parallels between BTS' messages and the philosophies of thinkers like Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Eric Hoffer, and Krishnamurti. 3. To young people, the world can be an unfair and disinterested place. Youth sacrifice their 'today' for a tomorrow that never seems to arrive and ignore their own innermost turmoil in pursuit of an ephemeral and impossible standard of beauty. Philosophizing About BTS takes a close, intimate look at the consolations BTS provides to dispirited and fragile young souls. Reviews "This book exposes the philosophical ideas of the young generation in upbeat manner, challenging the notion that philosophical talk must be serious… The author guides us toward a fresh, new angle on BTS' lyrics and away from exhausting philosophical overinterpretation. Rather than advocating vague optimistic views, this book delivers a message of hope that empowers the reader to rise from overconsumption, discrimination by differentiation and academic credentials, indifference, and social violence. Above all, it is easy and fun to read, but never light." – Lim Jin-mo, music commentator Soon after its release, Philosophizing About BTS ranked second in weekly sales and first in daily sales on Aladin, a Korean online bookseller. Just 15 days after its release, it had already finished a third round of printing. Furthermore, Philosophizing About BTS remained in the weekly top 20 humanities best-sellers list at Korean major bookstores such as Kyobo. – Kyunghyang Shinmun, Korean daily newspaper "Since the release of Philosophizing About BTS, bold attempts have been made to read K-pop from the perspective of its relationship to social structure. Humanistic approaches have been made, and are still being made, to understand the implications of K-pop bands' lyrics, performances, and methods of communication with their fans." – Sohn Min-kyu, merchandiser for online bookseller Yes24 "In some respects, BTS' messages may be more powerful than Hermann Hesse’s words. In consideration of that point, the author summons various thinkers and philosophers including Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, and Eric Hoffer and compares their messages with BTS'. Finally, she guides readers to an understanding of why BTS enjoys such a great level of popularity today and why people keep listening to them." – Munhwa Ilbo, Korean daily newspaper #1 at Aladdin #2 at Yes24 #3 month Bestseller at Kyobo book store

The Story Engine: 101 Postcard-Sized Stories


Peter ChiykowskiKari Maaren - 2020
    

Catland: The Soft Power of Cat Culture in Japan


Sarah Archer - 2020
    From cat cafes to “cat islands,” all of Japan’s furry friends take the spotlight in Catland. Picturesque city streets, shop windows, temples, and more are the stage for cats across the country. But Sarah Archer will also take readers behind the scenes of this phenomenon.With charming storytelling, Catland explores both the past and present of Japan’s affinity for cats. Archer transports readers to modern workshops where the Japanese carefully craft traditionally woven cat beds, “beckoning cat” statues, and cat clothing. With adorable illustrations and photographs, this book is just as irresistibly cute as its subjects—the perfect gift for the cat lover in your life.

White Balance: How Hollywood Shaped Colorblind Ideology and Undermined Civil Rights


Justin Gomer - 2020
    In 1963, Martin Luther King famously stated, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." However, in the decades after the civil rights movement, the ideology of colorblindness co-opted the language of the civil rights era in order to reinvent white supremacy and dismantle the civil rights movement's legal victories without offending political decorum. Yet, the spread of colorblindness could not merely happen through political speeches, newspapers, or books. The key, Justin Gomer contends, was film--as race-conscious language was expelled from public discourse, Hollywood provided the visual medium necessary to dramatize an anti-civil rights agenda over the course of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In blockbusters like Dirty Harry, Rocky, and Dangerous Minds, filmmakers capitalized upon the volatile racial, social, and economic struggles in the decades after the civil rights movement, shoring up a powerful, bipartisan ideology that would be wielded against race-conscious policy, the memory of black freedom struggles, and core aspects of the liberal state itself.

A Very Merry Holiday Movie Guide


Rachel McMillan - 2020
    Fellow made-for-TV movie buff Rachel McMillan invites you to skip the office Christmas party, put on your coziest pj’s, and crash on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and your remote in the other to watch the movies that have become the “hallmark” of the holiday season.     This one-of-a-kind illustrated guide features 15 themed celebrations featuring customized viewing lists, fun suggestions for starting new traditions, and festive facts about the happiest season of all. From baking to books, romance to royalty, and more, Rachel has put together a picture-perfect selection of holiday films to suit any interest.  A Picture-Perfect Christmas is an ideal gift or stocking stuffer for the Christmas movie lover in your life or a welcome addition to your family’s holiday traditions.

Who Is the Doctor 2: The Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who -- The Modern Series


Graeme Burk - 2020
    Every episode in series 7 to 11, as well as the 50th anniversary specials, is examined, analyzed, and discussed in thoughtful detail, highlighting the exhilarating moments, the connections to Doctor Who lore, the story arcs, the relationships, the goofs, the accumulated trivia and much, much more. Designed for die-hard Whovians and Who newbies alike, Who Is The Doctor 2 explores time and space with the Doctor and chronicles the imagination that has made Doctor Who an iconic part of culture for over 50 years.

Copycat Recipes: +130 Step-by-Step Recipes to cook the most famous restaurant dishes at home, save money and dramatically improve your cooking skills.(Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Applebee’s, and more)


Emma Dennis - 2020
    

Cook It, Spill It, Throw It: The Not-So-Real Housewives Parody Cookbook


Stuart O'Keeffe - 2020
    With a foreword by Andy Cohen.“Cook It, Spill It, Throw It is an immersive, one-of-a-kind experience in a world we can’t escape (but let’s face it, we don’t want to!).” —from the foreword by Andy CohenTrends come and go, but watching rich women drink and catfight is forever. Which is why after more than a decade of airing, the Real Housewives phenomenon continues to reign supreme in the pop culture stratosphere. Week after week, season after season, loyal fans watch the thrilling drama—the backstabbing, the gossiping, the screaming, the table flipping, the wine tossing—unfold. Cook It, Spill It, Throw It is a cookbook created specifically for Housewives fans. Chef Stuart O’Keeffe and comedian Amy Phillips—long-time devotees themselves—have dreamed up an inviting menu served with a side of delicious snark.Inspired by the series and its stars, the dishes and drinks evoke familiar moments of chaos from the franchise. Whether you’re looking to make Ponytail Pulled Pork, or you want to comfort a friend in the Caicos with Eggs a Lu’Francais, there’s a meal for you—and there are definitely plenty of drinks (including Henny-thing Can Happen and the classic Singer Stinger Sipper).Featuring gorgeous original photography and equally gorgeous recipes, Cook It, Spill It, Throw It is the must-have cookbook and companion for every Housewives addict.

Uncle: Race, Nostalgia, and the Cultural Politics of Loyalty


Cheryl L. Thompson - 2020
    Simpson and Christopher Darden have all been accused of being an Uncle Tom during their careers. How, why, and with what consequences for our society did Uncle Tom morph first into a servile old man and then to a racial epithet hurled at African American men deemed, by other Black people, to have betrayed their race?Uncle Tom, the eponymous figure in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s sentimental anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was a loyal Christian who died a martyr’s death. But soon after the best-selling novel appeared, theatre troupes across North America and Europe transformed Stowe’s story into minstrel shows featuring white men in blackface. In Uncle, Cheryl Thompson traces Tom’s journey from literary character to racial trope. She explores how Uncle Tom came to be and exposes the relentless reworking of Uncle Tom into a nostalgic, racial metaphor with the power to shape how we see Black men, a distortion visible in everything from Uncle Ben and Rastus The Cream of Wheat chef to Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson to Bill Cosby.In Donald Trump’s post-truth America, where nostalgia is used as a political tool to rewrite history, Uncle makes the case for why understanding the production of racial stereotypes matters more than ever before.

The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime


Erika Rothberg - 2020
    Daniel, Paul Dini, and more! Discover the stories that shaped the villain into one of pop culture's most indelible, twisted icons.Collects stories from Batman #1, #159, #251, #321, #429, #614, Detective Comics #168, #475, #476, #826, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman Adventures: Mad Love, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #50, Gotham Central #15, Detective Comics #1 (2011) and Batman #17 (2013).

Button Power: 125 Years of Saying It with Buttons


Christen Carter - 2020
    Lively commentary from two of America's foremost button experts shows how the small but powerful button reveals the events and movements that outraged, amused, and inspired us over time, from the solo flight of Charles Lindbergh to the Black Power movement.Artists, athletes, actors, politicians, punk and pop musicians, and mascots of the past 125 years make cameos, including Rube Goldberg, Muhammad Ali, the Ramones, Shirley Chisholm, Maratona the Snake Handler, and Ray Stevens, singer of "The Streak." The first book of its kind, Button Power is a rich visual feast. Each colorful spread chronicles defining moments in history through colorful photographs and artifacts. This collection will be an essential pick for fans of pop culture, visual culture, and design.

Kingdom Hearts III: The Novel, Vol. 2 (light novel): New Seven Hearts


Tomoco Kanemaki - 2020
    What kinds of new friends await him there?

The Sound of Hope: Music as Solace, Resistance and Salvation During the Holocaust and World War II


Kellie D. Brown - 2020
    During World War II, Nazi leadership recognized the power of music and chose to harness it with malevolence, using its power to push their own agenda and systematically stripping it away from the Jewish people and other populations they sought to disempower. But music also emerged as a counterpoint to this hate, withstanding Nazi attempts to exploit or silence it. Artistic expression triumphed under oppressive regimes elsewhere as well, including the horrific siege of Leningrad and in Japanese internment camps in the Pacific. The oppressed stubbornly clung to music, wherever and however they could, to preserve their culture, to uplift the human spirit and to triumph over oppression, even amid incredible tragedy and suffering. This volume draws together the musical connections and individual stories from this tragic time through scholarly literature, diaries, letters, memoirs, compositions, and art pieces. Collectively, they bear witness to the power of music and offer a reminder to humanity of the imperative each faces to not only remember, but to prevent another such cataclysm.

Elvis Presley's From Elvis in Memphis


Eric Wolfson - 2020
    A little over a month earlier he had staged rock's first and greatest comeback in a television program, forever known as "The '68 Comeback Special." With this show, he resurrected himself--at the age of 33, no less--from the ashes of a career mired in bad movies and soundtracks. So where to go from here?Like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, Elvis came back home to Memphis, where it had all begun. Eschewing the fancier studios of Nashville and Hollywood, he set up shop at the ramshackle American Sound Studio, run by a maverick named Chips Moman with an in-house backing band now known as "The Memphis Boys," and made the music of his life. The resulting work, From Elvis in Memphis, would be the finest studio album of his career, an explosion of mature confidence and fiery inspiration. It was the sound of Elvis establishing himself as a true rock and roll artist--and proving his status as a legend.

Off the Back of a Truck: Unofficial Contraband for the Sopranos Fan


Nick Braccia - 2020
    We all know and love The Sopranos, one of the most important television dramas to ever hit the small screen having run for six seasons on HBO. The story of the Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano balancing his family life with his role as a leader of a criminal organization inspired decades of genre-bending “peak TV.” Now Off the Back of a Truck: Contraband for the Sopranos Fan takes you one step further into the world of Tony Soprano and his family, offering an Italian potluck of fresh and fun takes that any true fan can get lost in for hours. Off the Back of a Truck is for everyone who finds themselves glued to the TV during Sopranos marathons and still searches the best scenes on YouTube. This book includes: -New looks at everyone’s favorite episodes, scenes, and characters: “The Pine Barrens,” Big Pussy’s death, and more -All 86 deaths analyzed, evaluated, and ranked -Reflections on the show’s use of true crime, music, food, and fashion from critics and culture writers who are also huge fans -Commentary from special guests, TV critics, and pop culture influencers This book takes you on a journey through the six seasons you have watched time and time again—just in time for David Chase’s September 2020 prequel film!

Sittin' In: Jazz Clubs of the 1940s and 1950s


Jeff Gold - 2020
    In this extraordinary collection, Jeff Gold looks back at this explosive moment in the history of Jazz and American culture, and the spaces at the center of artistic and social change. Sittin’ In is a visual history of jazz clubs during these crucial decades when some of the greatest names in in the genre—Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, and many others—were headlining acts across the country. In many of the clubs, Black and white musicians played together and more significantly, people of all races gathered together to enjoy an evening’s entertainment. House photographers roamed the floor and for a dollar, took picture of patrons that were developed on site and could be taken home in a keepsake folder with the club’s name and logo.Sittin’ In tells the story of the most popular club in these cities through striking images, first-hand anecdotes, true tales about the musicians who performed their unforgettable shows, notes on important music recorded live there, and more. All of this is supplemented by colorful club memorabilia, including posters, handbills, menus, branded matchbooks, and more. Inside you’ll also find exclusive, in-depth interviews conducted specifically for this book with the legendary Quincy Jones; jazz great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins; Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan; jazz musician and creative director of the Kennedy Center, Jason Moran; and jazz critic Dan Morgenstern.Gold surveys America’s jazz scene and its intersection with racism during segregation, focusing on three crucial regions: the East Coast (New York, Atlantic City, Boston, Washington, D.C.); the Midwest (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City); and the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco). This collection of ephemeral snapshots tells the story of an era that helped transform American life, beginning the move from traditional Dixieland jazz to bebop, from conservatism to the push for personal freedom.

George Harrison: Be Here Now


Barry Feinstein - 2020
    Feinstein captured George Harrison at home, in his garden, onstage, and in the studio. Nearly all the images are previously unpublished.The book contains never-before-seen ephemera related to these seminal releases during George's most richly creative time post-Beatles, including handwritten letters talking about album ideas, album-coverthoughts, and putting together the Concert for Bangladesh. This collection also features beloved performers that George convened for that Concert for Bangladesh--where Barry was the only sanctioned photographer onstage--including George's friends Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, and Billy Preston.The book coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of All Things Must Pass. George Harrison: Be Here Now is a deeper visual dive that the significantly large and passionate Beatles/George Harrison fandom will want to add to their collection.

The Fangirl's Guide to the Universe


Sam Maggs - 2020
    Fandom, pop culture, feminism, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—there’s never been a better time to be a fangirl, or a better guide to navigate the wide universe of fandoms. This handbook is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes, including:· How to make nerdy friends· How to rock cosplay· How to write fanfic with feels· How to defeat internet trolls· How to attend your first con And more! Featuring wisdom from Sam and insightful interviews with fangirl faves like Danielle Paige, Rainbow Rowell, and Preeti Chhibber, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Universe highlights the joys of fandom community and offers a fun, feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. This refreshed edition updates The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy including new interviews.