robinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A fun view of pop culture and celebrities--talented and non-talented. If you are an avid reader of People Weekly and/or Entertainment Weekly, you'll enjoy this light-hearted look at why we might have a obsession with our favorite stars. If you don't and aren't aware of who is who in the Kardashian family, it might not be that interesting.
Also, sprinkled throughout the book are "intermissions" with people describing their celebrity encounters which made me think of a few "non-encounters" I've experienced. One was when we were waiting in the foyer of a popular Palm Springs restaurant. After we were seated my spouse commented on how Justine Bateman was standing right next to us. Huh. I had no clue. Of course, then I had to crane my neck to see if she had been seated anywhere close to us. Then there was the time I almost mowed down Don King in a Vegas airport. Again, no clue.
My take-away is I have no desire to be famous.
Also, sprinkled throughout the book are "intermissions" with people describing their celebrity encounters which made me think of a few "non-encounters" I've experienced. One was when we were waiting in the foyer of a popular Palm Springs restaurant. After we were seated my spouse commented on how Justine Bateman was standing right next to us. Huh. I had no clue. Of course, then I had to crane my neck to see if she had been seated anywhere close to us. Then there was the time I almost mowed down Don King in a Vegas airport. Again, no clue.
My take-away is I have no desire to be famous.
melissarochelle's review against another edition
4.0
As I was scrolling through my Instagram feed I found myself thinking about this book. Why do I follow all of these people I don't know?! What makes them so special/interesting/worthy of my time? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? Some of them aren't household-name celebrities. Some of them are "celebrities" in their respective bubbles (yoga, literature, succulents, moms). Some are just random people.
But those questions I asked above, Julie Klam digs into that a little in this easy-to-read & entertaining look at CELEBRITY. If you're expecting a real in-depth psychoanalysis of why we're obsessed as a culture...you won't find that here. She interviews interesting people and includes these great little "intermissions" at the end of each chapter--quick stories from people who have had interactions with celebrities.
But those questions I asked above, Julie Klam digs into that a little in this easy-to-read & entertaining look at CELEBRITY. If you're expecting a real in-depth psychoanalysis of why we're obsessed as a culture...you won't find that here. She interviews interesting people and includes these great little "intermissions" at the end of each chapter--quick stories from people who have had interactions with celebrities.
ejdecoster's review against another edition
2.0
I needed something a little bit light to break a reading slump I'd been in, and this worked, but it wasn't as charming or appealing as her writing about dogs.
yiyihuang's review against another edition
2.0
As someone who's always been fascinated by celebrity culture, I was very excited to read this. I had high hopes that it would be like Trainwreck by Sady Doyle or Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen, and unfortunately, this book didn't even come close to that.
In the beginning of the book, Julie says this book will be about dissecting why some celebrities remain famous, what the cost of fame is, and why we love and care so much about these stars.
And I don't think Julie managed to do this in her book. I thought we would get some thought provoking chapters and instead what we got were some very superficial insights into these concepts.
It came across more like Julie telling us which celebrities she grew up obsessing over and which ones she supported or didn't support given their scandals or backgrounds. While that's fine and she did write with some funny anecdotes, I found myself waiting for more serious discussions about the intersection between the media, celebrities, and the rise of social media.
And while I enjoyed reading about people's brief interactions with celebrities, they ended up taking up most of the chapters and it always felt like the chapters ended abruptly before anything was seriously explored.
It was a fun and quick read, but don't go in thinking you'll get a great examination into the psychology of society's obsession with fame, Hollywood, and celebrities.
If you're looking for that, I definitely recommend reading the two books I mentioned in the beginning!
In the beginning of the book, Julie says this book will be about dissecting why some celebrities remain famous, what the cost of fame is, and why we love and care so much about these stars.
And I don't think Julie managed to do this in her book. I thought we would get some thought provoking chapters and instead what we got were some very superficial insights into these concepts.
It came across more like Julie telling us which celebrities she grew up obsessing over and which ones she supported or didn't support given their scandals or backgrounds. While that's fine and she did write with some funny anecdotes, I found myself waiting for more serious discussions about the intersection between the media, celebrities, and the rise of social media.
And while I enjoyed reading about people's brief interactions with celebrities, they ended up taking up most of the chapters and it always felt like the chapters ended abruptly before anything was seriously explored.
It was a fun and quick read, but don't go in thinking you'll get a great examination into the psychology of society's obsession with fame, Hollywood, and celebrities.
If you're looking for that, I definitely recommend reading the two books I mentioned in the beginning!
emmkayt's review against another edition
2.0
Pages and pages of affable, banal nattering about celebrity culture. The author muses about people's investment in celebrities, with reference to her own feelings when Brad and Jennifer split. She muses about the rise of reality shows, and watches some with her aunt, who likes them a lot. Etc etc. Not possible to actively dislike it, but not a lot of 'there' there.
ticroner's review against another edition
1.0
I waffled about whether or not this deserved a higher rating, since the writing wasn't unbearable and it was a relatively breezy read. Ultimately, though, I gave it one star because it adds next to nothing to the conversation it sets out to have.
The subtitle seemed to promise a thoughtful, thoroughly researched, and well-argued exploration of fame and celebrity. That is not what I got. Many of the chapters included "interviews" with "celebrities," which really served no other purpose than to illustrate how well-connected Klam believes herself to be. She spends a chapter on reality TV-generated celebrities recapping a binge-watching session with her television-loving aunt, squandering an opportunity to really explore a fascinating subset of fame and notoriety. She covers the public's fascination with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's divorce by talking about how hard *she* took it, even recounting how she had to talk it through with her therapist - without really trying to examine WHY those emotions existed in the first place.
By the end of this book, I was hoping that Klam would answer the question set forth in her subtitle: why do we care way too much about celebrities? She didn't. I left this book with nothing more than I had going into it, other than the warm feeling I got while reading about another person's memory of a pleasant subway ride with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The subtitle seemed to promise a thoughtful, thoroughly researched, and well-argued exploration of fame and celebrity. That is not what I got. Many of the chapters included "interviews" with "celebrities," which really served no other purpose than to illustrate how well-connected Klam believes herself to be. She spends a chapter on reality TV-generated celebrities recapping a binge-watching session with her television-loving aunt, squandering an opportunity to really explore a fascinating subset of fame and notoriety. She covers the public's fascination with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's divorce by talking about how hard *she* took it, even recounting how she had to talk it through with her therapist - without really trying to examine WHY those emotions existed in the first place.
By the end of this book, I was hoping that Klam would answer the question set forth in her subtitle: why do we care way too much about celebrities? She didn't. I left this book with nothing more than I had going into it, other than the warm feeling I got while reading about another person's memory of a pleasant subway ride with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
laurcoh's review against another edition
3.0
Pointless book that shouldn't really have been published. The focus is on "celebrities" which are really just a smattering of Z-listers that Klam knows in person. Their opinions and stories really weren't what I wanted to read. I will say that Klam herself was warm and her writing intimate. So for that reason, I'm giving 3 stars instead of 2.