The Best Books of 2024
PopMatters Best Books of 2024 include a broad range of nonfiction, many books on music, short fiction, a novel that turns a Mark Twain classic inside out, and much more.
feminism
Nazis and Racial and Sexual Subtexts in ‘Revenge of the Zombies’
Revenge of the Zombies stands at the axis of Nazis, race relations and feminism in a mishmash of wartime themes under an immigrant director.
A Queer Feminist Storytelling of ‘Jurassic Park’
Hannah McGregor’s book about Jurassic Park is a memoir, a love letter to monstrous femininities and queer kinships, and a pocket guide to reading like a feminist.
Alanis Morissette and the Division and Commodification of Women in 1990s Rock (excerpt)
This excerpt from the forthcoming book, Why Alanis Morissette Matters leaves a most righteous “trail of carnage” in its wake.
‘How Women Made Music’ Paints a Large, Colorful Canvas
From the contributors of NPR’s Turning the Tables series, How Women Made Music paints a large, colorful canvas from years of research and dialogue.
Naomi Novik’s Fantastical Feminist Worlds
Award-winning speculative fiction writer Naomi Novik’s short stories are collected in Buried Deep, revealing the range of her fantastical feminist worlds.
Kathleen Hanna, Riot Grrrl, and Punk
Riot Grrrl’s activism and grass-roots activity showed the movement was more concerned with breaking the rules and conventions than breaking through in punk.
Is the ‘Barbie’ Movie Performative Subversion or Meaningful Rebellion?
Is the Barbie movie, like the Barbie dolls, a superficial attempt to co-opt feminist discourse? Or does it offer something substantial?
‘Dirty Dancing’ in Pre-Roe v. Wade America
Andrea Warner’s book on Dirty Dancing in pre- Roe v. Wade America, The Time of My Life, is the deep dive into the film we need in these times.
’10 Things I Hate About You’ Is a Revolutionary Riot-Grrl Inspired Teen Comedy
Gil Junger’s alteration of The Taming of the Shrew, 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, is a revolutionary Riot Grrl-inspired teen comedy for today’s girls.
Backstreet Abortion Onscreen: Stories of Solitary Struggle and Solidarity
Nymphomaniac II, Happening, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire depict backstreet abortion as either a solitary or collaborative experience among women.
Happiness in Kurdistan: An Interview with ‘Transient Happiness’ Director Sina Muhammed
Kurdistani filmmaker Sina Muhammed discusses the complex interplay between joy and enduring struggle in his feminist drama, Transient Happiness.