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Popular Culture November 2018 |
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| Fashion Climbing: A Memoir With Photographs by Bill CunninghamWhat it is: a charming posthumous memoir from New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham that captures his idiosyncratic, uncompromising style.
Want a taste? "I never go down the street or enter a room without automatically deciding what the woman should wear."
Don't miss: irreverent anecdotes of Cunningham's antics, including the time he sneaked into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to see Queen Elizabeth. |
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| Tigerland: 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing by Wil HaygoodBeating the odds: Columbus, Ohio's segregated East High School baseball and basketball teams defied racist vitriol and school underfunding to win state championships during the 1968-1969 season.
Why you might like it: Tense and inspiring, Tigerland captures the turmoil of the 1960s, linking this intimate underdog tale to the larger political happenings of the era.
About the author: Wil Haygood is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the bestselling author of The Butler: A Witness to History. |
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| The Beatles Yellow Submarine by Bill MorrisonWe all live in... a fully authorized graphic novel adaptation of The Beatles' animated film Yellow Submarine, released to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Art alert: Bill Morrison's bright illustrations pay homage to the source material's psychedelic style, while offering some welcome depth and shading to complement the trippy narrative.
Reviewers say: "a gorgeous tribute to a classic work of pop art" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List by James MustichWhat it is: an enthusiastic, genre-hopping tome of must-read books that includes concise annotations and insightful commentary for each selected title.
Featuring: recommended reading lists such as "Books to Read in a Sitting," "Offbeat Escapes," and "A Long Climb, but What a View."
Read it for: the additions (and omissions!) that are sure to spark bibliophile debates. |
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| The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History by Megan Mullally and Nick OffermanWhat it's about: In this frank and bawdy transcript, "mismatched" couple Megan Mullally (Will and Grace) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) chat about their lives and love.
Chapters include: "You're Just Trying To Get In On The Action Because Your Family Is Like A Norman Rockwell Painting;" "I Came Out Of The Womb In a Top Hat And Tap Shoes."
Don't miss: the couple's tips for domestic bliss (like investing in a good mattress and enforcing a "two-week rule" for spending time apart). |
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| Tetris: The Games People Play by Box BrownWhat it is: the complicated origin story of Tetris, "the game that escaped the USSR" in 1984 after its Russian creator sneaked it out of Moscow.
What sets it apart: Bestselling author and illustrator Box Brown (Andre the Giant: His Life and Legend) presents the tale in a whimsical and engaging graphic narrative.
Art alert: straightforward illustrations feature hard edges and minimal coloring meant to evoke the visuals of the game's earliest iterations. |
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| Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus "Notch" Persson and the Game That Changed... by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson Who it's about: Swedish video game developer Markus Persson, who overcame a childhood rife with family dysfunction to fulfill his lifelong dream of creating his own games.
Who it's for: Video game programmers, fans of Minecraft, and readers who enjoy inspirational success stories will want to give this moving biography a try. |
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| Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation by Blake J. HarrisWhat it's about: the battle for market dominance between "Goliath" Nintendo and upstart Sega that revolutionized the video game industry in the 1990s.
For fans of: behind-the-scenes business stories like Moneyball and The Accidental Billionaires.
Media buzz: Console Wars is set for a forthcoming documentary adaptation to be co-directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (who also wrote the book's foreword). |
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| Death by Video Game: Danger, Pleasure, and Obsession on the Virtual Frontline by Simon ParkinWhat it is: a thought-provoking, evenhanded examination of gaming culture and its effect on players.
Why you might like it: Simon Parkin presents examples both sobering (a 23-year-old gamer's death after 23 hours of play) and hopeful (a man who developed a game to cope with his son's cancer diagnosis), offering nuance to ongoing debates about video games' impact.
Further reading: Jane McGonigal's SuperBetter or Tom Bissell's Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. |
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| Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games... by Jason SchreierWhat it is: an enthusiastic look at the artistic and technical development of popular video games including Halo Wars, Destiny, Project Eternity, Stardew Valley, Uncharted 4, Star Wars 1313, and more.
About the author: Jason Schreier is a news editor at video game website Kotaku.
Reviewers say: "Even if you've never played one of these games, you'll be riveted by the account of how they came to be" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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