New Books in Popular Culture

Join Betsy Golden Kellem, a scholar of the unusual and Emmy-winning host, as she unveils the hidden history of daring female circus performers in the 19th century. Discover the boundary-breaking feats of women like Lavinia Warren and Annie Edson Taylor, who defied societal norms and redefined femininity in a male-dominated world. Kellem delves into the evolution of the circus as a major business and the cultural significance of these performances, highlighting the intersection between gender, history, and art in a captivating way.

Joelle Kidd, author of "Jesusland: Stories from the Upside Down World of Christian Pop Culture," reflects on her evangelical adolescence infused with early 2000s Christian pop culture. She shares humorous and poignant insights about the commercialization of faith and the rise of purity culture. Kidd discusses the exploitation of volunteer labor in Christian filmmaking and how early Christian pop influences contemporary political movements. Her compelling essays bridge personal experiences with a critique of the socio-political ramifications of evangelicalism today.

Katherine Fusco, an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, discusses her book on Hollywood’s unconventional stars. She delves into the complex relationships between early cinema, race, and gender, highlighting how atypical stars like Lon Chaney challenged audience perceptions. Fusco explores Shirley Temple's career against the backdrop of child labor laws and analyzes how marginalized identities were navigated within the star system. Her insights reveal the limits of empathy in film and the ways the industry managed audience attachments.

In this engaging discussion, Daniel Horowitz, a Professor and author of "Bear With Me: A Cultural History of Famous Bears in America," explores America's deep-rooted fascination with bears. He highlights the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt's ethical choices in bear hunting and the rise of cultural icons like Smokey Bear. The conversation also touches on the evolution of tales like Goldilocks, the multifaceted symbolism of bears in modern media, and how they evoke both comfort and fear, reflecting broader societal themes.

Cary Baker, a veteran journalist and music publicist, delves into the world of street music in his latest book, exploring its rich history from the 1920s to today. He shares captivating anecdotes from his journey through Chicago's vibrant blues scene and discusses the cultural legacy of iconic locations like Maxwell Street. Baker highlights the resilience of street performers, the impact of legal battles on busking, and how technology is reshaping the art of street performances, blending activism with music in a uniquely compelling narrative.

Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, a journalist and author, dives into the life of Claire McCardell, a revolutionary fashion designer who liberated women's wardrobes. Their conversation highlights McCardell's innovative designs, like the wrap dress and ballet flats, that prioritize comfort and style. She boldly rejected corsets and male-dominated ideals, advocating for women's autonomy in clothing choices. Dickinson also discusses McCardell's legacy as a pioneering woman owning her name in fashion, and her impact on modern styles still felt today.

In this analysis, the hosts dive deep into the themes of transformation and boundary crossing in the FX series. They examine complex familial relationships, questioning identity and emotional ties amid transhumanism. The unique narrative blends science fiction with fairy tale elements, prompting reflection on existential questions. A notable discussion centers on the ethical dilemmas of observation and the impact of alien connections, all while inviting audience engagement and commentary on the show's thought-provoking storytelling.

In Tales of Militant Chemistry (U of California Press, 2025), Alice Lovejoy tells the untold story of film as a chemical cousin to poison gas and nuclear weapons, shaped by centuries of violent extraction. The history of film calls to mind unforgettable photographs, famous directors, and the glitz and hustle of the media business. But there is another tale to tell that connects film as a material to the twentieth century's history of war, destruction, and cruelty. This story comes into focus during World War II at the factories of Tennessee Eastman, where photographic giant Kodak produced the rudiments of movie magic. Not far away, at Oak Ridge, Kodak was also enriching uranium for the Manhattan Project--uranium mined in the Belgian Congo and destined for the bomb that fell on Hiroshima. While the world's largest film manufacturer transformed into a formidable military contractor, across the ocean its competitor Agfa grew entangled with Nazi Germany's machinery of war. After 1945, Kodak's film factories stood at the front lines of a new, colder war, as their photosensitive products became harbingers of the dangers of nuclear fallout. Following scientists, soldiers, prisoners, and spies through Kodak's and Agfa's global empires, Lovejoy links the golden age of cinema and photography to colonialism, the military-industrial complex, radioactive dust, and toxic waste. Revelatory and chilling, Tales of Militant Chemistry shows how film became a weapon whose chemistry irrevocably shaped the world we live in today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

Inequality in the workplace impacts all areas of our lives, from health and self-development to economic security and family life. But, despite the world's richest countries' long-avowed commitments to gender equality, there is still so much to fix - and so much we don't see.With perceptive and razor-sharp insight, in Patriarchy Inc.: What We Get Wrong About Gender Equality – and Why Men Still Win at Work (W.W. Norton, 2025) award-winning author Cordelia Fine reveals how the status quo - Patriarchy Inc. - is harming us all, in our working lives and beyond. Drawing on social and cultural history, examples from hunter-forager societies to high finance and the latest thinking in evolutionary science, she dismantles the existing, inadequate visions for gender equality and charts an inspiring path towards a fairer and freer society Cordelia Fine is a Canadian-born British philosopher of science, psychologist, and writer. She is a full professor in the History and Philosophy of Science programme at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube Channel here  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

How does sociology help to explain modern life? In A Sociology of Awkwardness: On Social Interactions Going Wrong (Routledge, 2025)Pauwke Berkers, a full professor Sociology of Popular Music at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Yosha Wijngaarden, an assistant professor of Media and Creative Industries at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, examine how people interact in settings as diverse as work, everyday life, self-help and even contemporary dating. Alongside this rich empirical research, the book outlines a uniquely sociological approach to awkwardness, displacing the idea that it is a personal characteristic and showing how both the idea of awkwardness and people’s experiences around it are closely associated with social contexts and constructions. The book will be of interest to anyone who has ever felt awkward! It is available open access here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture