Star Struck - by Sam Riley (Hardcover)

About the Book

This balanced examination looks at America's pervasive celebrity culture, concentrating on the period from 1950 to the present day.
Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture is neither a stern critic nor an apologist for celebrity infatuation, a phenomenon that sometimes supplants more weighty matters yet constitutes one of our nation's biggest exports. This encyclopedia covers American celebrity culture from 1950 to 2008, examining its various aspects--and its impact--through 86 entries by 30 expert contributors.

Demonstrating that all celebrities are famous, but not all famous people are celebrities, the book cuts across the various entertainment medias and their legions of individual "stars." It looks at sports celebrities and examines the role of celebrity in more serious pursuits and institutions such as the news media, corporations, politics, the arts, medicine, and the law. Also included are entries devoted to such topics as paranoia and celebrity, one-name celebrities, celebrity nicknames, family unit celebrity, sidekick celebrities, and even criminal celebrities.

• 86 entries by 30 contributors are alphabetically organized by topic
• A timeline section covers events connected with the development of our celebrity culture and will be especially useful to younger readers who have not lived through the entire period covered by the book
• An extensive bibliography of works dealing with celebrity is provided to encourage further reading and examination of the topic

Book Synopsis

This balanced examination looks at America's pervasive celebrity culture, concentrating on the period from 1950 to the present day.

Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture is neither a stern critic nor an apologist for celebrity infatuation, a phenomenon that sometimes supplants more weighty matters yet constitutes one of our nation's biggest exports. This encyclopedia covers American celebrity culture from 1950 to 2008, examining its various aspects--and its impact--through 86 entries by 30 expert contributors.

Demonstrating that all celebrities are famous, but not all famous people are celebrities, the book cuts across the various entertainment medias and their legions of individual "stars." It looks at sports celebrities and examines the role of celebrity in more serious pursuits and institutions such as the news media, corporations, politics, the arts, medicine, and the law. Also included are entries devoted to such topics as paranoia and celebrity, one-name celebrities, celebrity nicknames, family unit celebrity, sidekick celebrities, and even criminal celebrities.

Review Quotes

"This offers a much more thoughtful approach to celebrity than other pop culture works aimed at high school students and undergraduates. Recommended for high school, public, and undergraduate academic collections supporting curricula or interests in popular culture." --Library Journal

"This would be a good purchase for public libraries in particular but would also be of use in an academic library." --Booklist

About the Author