Harris, Aisha
9780063249950, 0063249952
Paperback
 
In nine lively essays, critic Aisha Harris invites us into the wonderful, maddening process of making sense of the pop culture we consume.
 
“Aisha Harris is one of our smartest, most entertaining modern cultural critics . . . which might as well be parlance for, ‘Read me immediately.’”—Elle
 
Aisha Harris, cohost of NPR’s beloved Pop Culture Happy Hour, has made a name for herself as someone you can turn to for a razor- sharp take on whatever show or movie everyone is talking about. Now, she turns her talents inward, mining the benchmarks of her nineties childhood and beyond to analyze the tropes that are shaping all of us, and our ability to shape them right back.
 
In the opening essay, an interaction with Chance the Rapper prompts an investigation into the origin myth of her name. Elsewhere, Aisha traces the evolution of the “Black Friend” trope from its Twainian origins through to the heyday of the Spice Girls, teen comedies like She’s All That, and sitcoms of the New Girl variety. And she examines the overlap of taste and identity in this era, rejecting the patriarchal ethos that you are what you like. Whatever the subject, sitting down with her book feels like hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop culture–obsessed friend—and it’s a delight.