"Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me" is a refreshing and thought-provoking collection of essays that delves into significant societal issues such as racism, trauma, parenthood, feminism, and generational trauma through the lens of pop culture. Aisha Harris wrote with wit and humor, and skillfully navigates through these complex topics, offering insightful commentary and personal anecdotes that resonate deeply with readers.

What sets this book apart is its ability to tackle weighty subjects with a comical approach, making it engaging to a wide audience. Through clever references to popular movies, TV shows, music, and other forms of media, the author seamlessly weaves together poignant observations about the impact of pop culture on our lives and society at large.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperOne for this ARC!!

I think this is a great read for fellow Millennials! This collection of essays discusses modern American issues through a lens of pop culture. I was not familiar with the author or her podcast, but I thought her writing was wonderful and insightful. There were a couple times where she did such a deep dive into a segment of pop culture that I really lost the thread of what she was talking about, but overall it was thought-provoking and enjoyable. I have definitely recommended it to my friends!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I was so excited for this one as a 90s kid and lover of all pop culture commentary, while unfamiliar with Aisha Harris prior to this, her commentary and perspectives are thoughtful and funny - I enjoyed the nostalgia! I did struggle with the pacing, some of the essays felt heavier handed, but overall I enjoyed it.

As a fellow 90s baby, this was a really fun and relevant read. Pop culture is always such an exciting book topic. I enjoyed this thoroughly. Although I didn't agree with the author on all of her opinions, it was interesting to learn more about other people's thoughts on things I like or dislike. I think this would make a great birthday gift to some of my friends!

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where pop culture and memoirs are popular.

Aisha Harris is so smart, and this book of essays was no different. I think that she has a really interesting take on pop culture (I say as a fan of her work on Pop Culture Happy Hour), and I was glad to see her get a chance to expand here. I particularly enjoyed the essay about New Girl and other sitcoms!

Thank you to HarperOne and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I had never heard of Aisha Harris prior to seeing this book on NetGalley, but I thought the premise was interesting so I requested it.

This book didn't disappoint. Aisha shows how much Pop Culture (good and bad) influences our lives. This is a book made up of essays that really makes you think about the movies, TV, and music that we all grew up with. Is it still ok to enjoy these things even when they are problematic?

I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be seeking out Aisha's other work.

I wholeheartedly wish I could give this book 10 STARS because it has truly captivated me! The author skillfully integrates elements of pop culture into a profound exploration of vital themes, including racism, representation, feminism, and microaggressions. Many of these themes have significantly shaped our perspectives in the past, but with a deeper understanding, we now possess the power to reshape the narrative.

As someone who came of age in the 80s and 90s, this book resonates deeply with me. I belong to the generation that grew up with shows like the Cosby Show, A Different World, Girlfriends, and Living Single. I often reflect on how the portrayal of young black actors on college campuses in these series influenced my peers and likely played a significant role in college enrollment during the 90s. These shows also positively influenced our presence in relationships and business settings.

Moreover, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the significant impact of social media, shedding light on how it fosters a deceptive sense of reality for many. The author's insights into social media and its effects on society are remarkably perceptive and accurate.

Without a doubt, this book should be seriously considered as an outstanding choice for a book club selection; the ensuing discussion among book club members would undoubtedly be nothing short of epic!

I found some of her essays okay but the pacing of the book felt so slow and didn't finish it because it wasn't engaging anymore.

I have DNF'd this book. I liked the writing but found the essays too long. I think with the topic of pop culture and the style of writing shorter essays might have worked better. I think I will likely revisit this book and give it another shot, because I am curious what they author has to say. I think other folks will like it a lot.

Harris is as thoughtful, funny, and curious in these pages as she is on NPR. I really enjoyed getting her deeper insights on pop culture and her own expereinces.

A collection of essays about the author's childhood and growing up in the nineties and how pop-culture influenced so much in her life. It's an interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and HarperOne for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pop culture plays a huge role in our lives, often marking the passage of time and driving intense nostalgia when we revisit certain songs, movies, TV shows, or books. That nostalgia, while fun to embrace, can also bring up deeper investigations into the entertainment we held so dear.

Is it OK to still sing those lyrics? Am I still allowed to like that movie? These are all questions we ask ourselves as we grow older and learn more about the world around us. Harris dives into these questions and how they impact our memories and consumption of media in her memoir/essay collection. While she mainly uses examples from her own life, her takeaways are universal and will resonate with almost everyone.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed hearing Aisha Harris on the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast so I was excited to read this one for more of her takes. Even if you’re not a regular listener of the podcast there’s something in this essay collection for everyone. Harris explores generational trauma, choosing to be child free, the “Black Friend” trope and more, all through reflections upon formative pieces of pop culture. My personal favorite was “This is the IP that Never Ends” which examines the force of nostalgia and why we’re all feeling a little burned out on Marvel movies.

A long-time listener of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, I was already familiar with Aisha Harris. I love a good book/essay that seriously engages with pop culture and how it affects us. A few of the essays were so long and far-reaching that I lost the thread just a bit - I think I would have preferred a few shorter essays and more topics - but there's a lot of really interesting stuff here. I found the essay about being a Black critic and how that's affected how Harris reviewed entertainment created by Black creatives as well as the response she gets from Black readers when those reviews are negative to be especially thoughtful. It was a new perspective for me. I also really enjoyed her essay about the different types of Black best friends in pop culture and how they impacted her, creating and supporting some internalized racism that she spent a lot of time fighting.

The combination of the fact that I tend to enjoy Harris' writing/podcast and that I'm an avid pop culture consumer made me think that I would love every single essay in this book. The truth turned out to be somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed most of the topics touched on and agreed with most of what she's saying, but this book lacks some of the vitality from the podcast.
I kept thinking that I'd heard it before and there was not much new material contained in the essays. So while it remains a well-researched and expertly presented set of essays, I feel like I could have saved myself the reading time and just hit play on a podcast.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and HarperOne for the read!

I picked this book based on the cover (fun!) and the topic (also fun!), with no idea who Aisha Harris is (famous NPR pop culture host). Harris' breadth of knowledge for pop culture far outweighs mine—I literally felt the heat of the sun as I came out from under my rock—though in some essays I felt the analysis went on quite a bit longer than necessary. Her arguments, despite my depth of knowledge, were often brilliant and entertaining. I especially enjoyed times where Harris made her points more personal, but for the most part it was a balanced collection. After reading, I wanted to go back and listen to her show, because I couldn't always tell if she was being serious or facetious, i.e. I completely respect someone's desire not to procreate, but please tell me you're basing the decision on more than sitcom tv families...

#NetGalleyarc I really enjoyed this book. The author writes very candidly and honestly. As a big pop culture fan, I found this book interestIng to read as it’s about pop culture and how it’s shaped the life of the author, a Black female.

I wasn't familiar with Aisha Harris before reading Wannabe, and this did not detract from my enjoyment of her work. It was nice to be able to approach the collection without any expectations of how she'd express her thoughts and opinions. For the most part, there was a good flow to the book that provided a solid idea of what has influenced Harris's preferences and criticisms of pop culture. We're close enough in age that the references she made were relatable, and many of her observations were astute and cleverly stated.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers' copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review. I received my ARC before the book was published but at the time of writing this review, it has been out for almost a month.

I enjoy a book of essays looking at pop culture. I think it's interesting to see what pieces of culture an author decides to talk about. This is the first work I've consumed by Aisha Harris, looking at other reviews, she's also a host of a pop culture podcast. Overall, I liked this collection, she shares her thoughts on pop culture and how it shapes the Black experience.

She saved her best essays for the second half of the book. "This is the IP That Never Ends," "Parents Just Don't Understand," and "Santa Claus is a Black Man" are standouts for me. The essays are an analysis of pieces of pop culture and how they have affected her life. Some essays lean into one or the other more heavily. For example, "Ebony & Ivory" feels more of an analysis. I think the book's flow would have worked better had the essays been organized in a way in which essays with more analysis were grouped together. It was sometimes jarring to go from a personal essay to an analysis where I felt like Harris wasn't "talking" to the reader anymore. I loved the comedic moments in the book just as much as a loved her analysis on pop culture.

She challenges your beliefs in the best way. "Blackety-Black" is an excellent essay that really made me stop and think. I'm coming into this book with an Asian American who was raised in America perspective. I read part of this chapter a few times to understand what she is trying to say. I've come to the conclusion that I agree with the majority of what she says (Though, I still like Lizzo and think she is opening doors to marginalized communities even if a lot of white people, and Asian Americans like me, like her). It's difficult to put into words but she manages to do it. I will keep this conversation going as I continue to think about pop culture and unlearn unconscious biases.

Definitely check out this book if you love pop culture, essays, and how pop culture affects us.