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A review by acoffeeandagoodbook
Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts by Evan Ross Katz
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I'm a huge Buffy fan. I love this show, and I know it inside out. That said, I'm not blind to its flaws, especially after recent allegations against Joss Whedon towards his cast and crew. This retrospective did an excellent job of balancing both of these feelings.
Like me, Katz is clearly a huge fan, struggling to work out what that means in 2022. Buffy was ground-breaking...in 1997. It had some of the best queer representation on TV for that time and told stories that made outsiders feel included. However, its Girl Power brand of feminism wasn't perfect, and it's important to recognize that, as well as the show's huge problems with race.
The book is a great mix of cast and crew interviews, anecdotes of what Buffy meant and means to the fans, and an exploration of both the good and bad elements of the show. Love for the show shines through, but there's also plenty of interesting, and valid critique.
Part way through the writing of this book, Charisma Carpenter spoke out about her terrible experience on Angel, and Katz found himself with a very different book on his hands. Katz does his best to explore the allegations, and what it means for those of us who still adore this show. To quote Buffy herself, "Where do we go from here?"
Like me, Katz is clearly a huge fan, struggling to work out what that means in 2022. Buffy was ground-breaking...in 1997. It had some of the best queer representation on TV for that time and told stories that made outsiders feel included. However, its Girl Power brand of feminism wasn't perfect, and it's important to recognize that, as well as the show's huge problems with race.
The book is a great mix of cast and crew interviews, anecdotes of what Buffy meant and means to the fans, and an exploration of both the good and bad elements of the show. Love for the show shines through, but there's also plenty of interesting, and valid critique.
Part way through the writing of this book, Charisma Carpenter spoke out about her terrible experience on Angel, and Katz found himself with a very different book on his hands. Katz does his best to explore the allegations, and what it means for those of us who still adore this show. To quote Buffy herself, "Where do we go from here?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, and Bullying
Minor: Alcoholism and Terminal illness