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In which I am reminded why non-fiction isn't actually all that bad.
So a fun fact about me is when I'm not reading books, I'm reading long-form stories on the interwebs. Anne-Helen Petersen is currently a culture writer for Buzzfeed, was previously a writer on the (now-defunct) Hairpin, including her popular Scandals of Classic Hollywood column. Long story short, I've read everything she's ever written on these sites, and so I knew that I had to one day get around to reading her book based on the column.
And it did not disappoint. This collection of essays, each focused on a star, and organized into sections comparing and contrasting those with similar images, is both fun and informative. Reading about glamourous people behaving badly is as trashy and engrossing as ever. But it is Petersen's extra-textual analysis on star image, explaining how celebrity actions, archetypes, and media coverage can always be viewed through the lens of our own cultural anxieties, that is truly brilliant.
P.S. If you liked [b:The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|32620332|The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498169036l/32620332._SY75_.jpg|46885151], not just for the characters but the era and ~vibe~ of Old Hollywood, this is an excellent non-fictional take (or head over to the Rita Hayworth column, who it seems Evelyn was partially inspired by).
4 stars
So a fun fact about me is when I'm not reading books, I'm reading long-form stories on the interwebs. Anne-Helen Petersen is currently a culture writer for Buzzfeed, was previously a writer on the (now-defunct) Hairpin, including her popular Scandals of Classic Hollywood column. Long story short, I've read everything she's ever written on these sites, and so I knew that I had to one day get around to reading her book based on the column.
And it did not disappoint. This collection of essays, each focused on a star, and organized into sections comparing and contrasting those with similar images, is both fun and informative. Reading about glamourous people behaving badly is as trashy and engrossing as ever. But it is Petersen's extra-textual analysis on star image, explaining how celebrity actions, archetypes, and media coverage can always be viewed through the lens of our own cultural anxieties, that is truly brilliant.
P.S. If you liked [b:The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|32620332|The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo|Taylor Jenkins Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498169036l/32620332._SY75_.jpg|46885151], not just for the characters but the era and ~vibe~ of Old Hollywood, this is an excellent non-fictional take (or head over to the Rita Hayworth column, who it seems Evelyn was partially inspired by).
4 stars