Dangerous Visions, Sticking it to the Man, and Girl Gangs.
For the nonfiction fan that likes to explore the history of books, I offer three outstanding resources from PM Press (@PMPressOrg) edited by Andrew Nette (Pulpcurry) and Ian McIntyre. Each of these titles are filled with essays from experts and insiders about the subject they highlight. In STICKING IT TO THE MAN: REVOLUTION AND COUNTERCULTURE IN PULP AND POPULAR FICTION, 1950 TO 1980 twenty-six essays explore civil rights, Black Power, New Left, gay liberation, feminism, anticolonial struggles, antiwar agitation, politics and so much more in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia through the books produced in crime fiction, thrillers, erotica, and other paperback genres. The amount of meandering pathways to explore in this one book alone provides years of reading pleasure. This books pairs nicely with GIRL GANGS, BIKER BOYS, AND REAL COOL CATS: PULP FICTION AND YOUTH CULTURE, 1950 to 1980. As with the previous title, this book is a compilation of essays that explore “how the rise of postwar youth culture was depicted in mass-market pulp fiction” through fashion, language, behavior, music and culture. The final title in this trilogy of awesomeness is DANGEROUS VISIONS AND NEW WORLDS: RADICAL SCIENCE FICTION, 1950-1985. As a self-proclaimed nerd, this was my favorite of the three. Again, Nette and McIntyre compile a plethora of writers (22 of them!) that dig deeply into the social, cultural, and political movements showcased in science fiction from 1950 to 1985. Themes of mass media culture, the Vietnam War, state surveillance, corporate control and so much more provide for a wild and insightful reading journey. Additionally, this book also features new perspectives on key novels and authors—such as Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, Samuel Delany, and J.G. Ballard, to name a few. Filled with beautiful, color photographs of book covers and detailed indexes, these books are a perfect resource for the book lover and academic libraries.
