Is This Story About Us? New Books About Fan Subcultures
New nonfiction that investigates the fandoms we participate in
It’s often easy to find literary companions to your favorite fandoms. Celebrity memoirs give the inside scoop behind the scenes of your favorite content, books about beloved TV shows, movies and music give the kind of in-depth analysis you might discuss with other fans, and movie guides might celebrate lesser-known facts about the filming or creative struggles behind a film you obsess over. But there are also narratives about the phenomenon of fandom itself: it is fascinating to pull back the curtain not on the content, but on a fandom community’s admiration of it and what it means in our society. We found some new(ish) books about particular fandoms that help explain the phenomenon of fandom, regardless of your personal interest in particular content. Let us know your favorite fandom books in the comments!
Disney Adults by AJ Wolfe
Much has been said about the "Disney adult" phenomenon, that is: the large number of childless adults who visit and revel in Disney theme parks all over the world. But in this new book about the Disney fandom, author AJ Wolfe, founder of Disney Food Blog, explores the vast subculture of adults who love all things Disney. The book dives into this often misunderstood subculture and the factions within it, and calls into question the societal limits on what we deem acceptable escapism and where we find joy.
I’ll Love You Forever: Notes From a K-Pop Fan by Giaae Kwon
Maybe you’ve been a K-Pop fan for many years. Maybe you just jumped in because KPop Demon Hunters is the biggest inescapable streaming hit of the summer. Whatever your level of fandom, Korean American author Giaae Kwon’s part-memoir, part-cultural criticism book is a must-read to understand this complex global phenomenon. Using her own experiences as a fan of K-Pop since the 1990s, and obsessions with artists like H.O.T. and BTS, Kwon examines the ins and outs of this subculture and its significance in greater Korean culture like attitudes towards female sexuality and beauty. You can find an excerpt here.
Fandom For Us By Us by Alfred L. Martin, Jr.
Through 75 interviews with Black fans of a variety of content, author Alfred L. Martin, Jr. breaks the focus of mainstream culture on white fandom to center Black fan subcultures. Through what he calls the four C’s: class, clout, canon and comfort, Martin explores how these factors contribute to the nuanced ways Black fans interact with content. He examines issues of representation and consumer spending power, such as how the film Black Panther could become a huge blockbuster in a predominantly white fan subculture. He also highlights how cultural touchstones of Black fandom become significant moments themselves and offer meaning outside the original content context, like the importance of The Wiz or Misty Copeland’s superstardom in the American Ballet Theater and greater dance world.
Theatre Fandom Edited by Kirsty Sedgman, Francesca Coppa, Matt Hills
The editors of this anthology bring together a cross-section of discussions regarding theater fans across mediums and time. The contributors to this collection examine a post-pandemic theater culture, looking at studies of theater enjoyment from bygone eras and ushering it into the future. As theater fandom evolves with technology, social media, and changes in formal criticism, fans have new ways of interacting with stage content. And as theater becomes more interactive, experimental, and in conversation with online fandom, these contributors question how to leverage fan enthusiasm to encourage more participation in live theater in the modern era.
Fans by Michael Bond
In a story about communities, Michael Bond takes a look at many different fandoms and looks for fundamental truths about humanity and behavior. Drawing on psychology and anthropology, Bond takes the reader on a journey through what it means to be part of a fandom–the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. But most of all fandom is about finding others who share your interests and take your opinions seriously–however outlandish in some cases–because of the innate tribalism present in fandom culture. And the way we behave in these groups has an impact on our greater societies.
Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany
Boyband fandom has been an enigma for decades. You could probably trace the phenomenon of screaming girls rocking out to attractive male musicians back to Beatlemania in the 1960s. As pop music and the idea of the modern boyband had a massive resurgence in the late 1990s/early 2000s, it happened alongside the internet boom. Staff writer at The Atlantic Kaitlyn Tiffany dives into her own boyband fandom and explores how fangirls, through ingenuity, passion, and collaboration created the modern day social internet. Fans used the internet to obsess, create their own fansites, rally together and collaborate to manipulate chart numbers, and connect with one another on a multitude of platforms, helping to create a social infrastructure online that we still use today. Modern fans have no shortage of places to converge online, the evolution of a culture created by fans of a previous generation.
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