Overview

""Revisiting soothing network dramedies like Parenthood, Gilmore Girls, This is Us, and their late-80s precursor, thirtysomething, with a detour into True Blood (the funhouse mirror to these normy worlds), Normporn mines the nuanced pleasures, and attraction-repulsion queer TV viewers experience through liberal family shows-the outlets for our ""spontaneous overflow of basic feelings.""""--

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9781479841929

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Reviews

A personal and heartfelt ode to the problematic pleasures of normalcy. Insightful, relatable, and funny, Tongson is a master at twirling the personal around the political, giving us a layered, brainy investigation into this sneaky cultural manipulation. * Michelle Tea, author of Valencia * Normporn is a funny, bracing and unrelentingly smart journey through the pop culture of the last twenty years to explain the confused, damaged state of American identity. Karen Tongson takes looks at everything from Webster to True Blood to Madame Secretary to parse out the conflicting ideas of what America is and should be. It’s that rarest of books, a searingly intellectual cultural analysis that’s fun and dishy enough for the beach. * Guy Branum, author of My Life As A Goddess *

The analysis presents bracing assessments of network TV touchstones, and Tongson’s wit is a treat. Thought-provoking and full of fresh insights, this entertains and enlightens. * Publishers Weekly * A personal and heartfelt ode to the problematic pleasures of normalcy. Insightful, relatable, and funny, Tongson is a master at twirling the personal around the political, giving us a layered, brainy investigation into this sneaky cultural manipulation. * Michelle Tea, author of Valencia * Normporn is a funny, bracing and unrelentingly smart journey through the pop culture of the last twenty years to explain the confused, damaged state of American identity. Karen Tongson takes a look at everything from WandaVision to True Blood to parse out the conflicting ideas of what America is and should be. It’s that rarest of books, a searingly intellectual cultural analysis that’s fun and dishy enough for the beach. * Guy Branum, author of My Life As A Goddess * What begins as a searing cultural critique of the prevalence of sentimental, whitewashed television shows—This is Us, Parenthood, etc.—unfurls brilliantly into a soul-stirring reflection on personal and cultural grief and the palliative effects of plainness. Tongson exquisitely captures what it means for queer people in particular to find solace in the quotidian. * Electric Literature *

A personal and heartfelt ode to the problematic pleasures of normalcy. Insightful, relatable, and funny, Tongson is a master at twirling the personal around the political, giving us a layered, brainy investigation into this sneaky cultural manipulation. * Michelle Tea, author of Valencia * Normporn is a funny, bracing and unrelentingly smart journey through the pop culture of the last twenty years to explain the confused, damaged state of American identity. Karen Tongson takes a look at everything from WandaVision to True Blood to parse out the conflicting ideas of what America is and should be. It’s that rarest of books, a searingly intellectual cultural analysis that’s fun and dishy enough for the beach. * Guy Branum, author of My Life As A Goddess * What begins as a searing cultural critique of the prevalence of sentimental, whitewashed television shows—This is Us, Parenthood, etc.—unfurls brilliantly into a soul-stirring reflection on personal and cultural grief and the palliative effects of plainness. Tongson exquisitely captures what it means for queer people in particular to find solace in the quotidian. * Electric Literature *

A personal and heartfelt ode to the problematic pleasures of normalcy. Insightful, relatable, and funny, Tongson is a master at twirling the personal around the political, giving us a layered, brainy investigation into this sneaky cultural manipulation. * Michelle Tea, author of Valencia * Normporn is a funny, bracing and unrelentingly smart journey through the pop culture of the last twenty years to explain the confused, damaged state of American identity. Karen Tongson takes a look at everything from WandaVision to True Blood to parse out the conflicting ideas of what America is and should be. It’s that rarest of books, a searingly intellectual cultural analysis that’s fun and dishy enough for the beach. * Guy Branum, author of My Life As A Goddess *

Author Information

Karen Tongson is Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, English, and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. She is the author of Why Karen Carpenter Matters and Relocations: Queer Suburban Imaginaries, as well as co-editor of the Postmillennial Pop book series at NYU Press.

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