[3.75]

“Most of our entertainment fails us politically”

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

“Normporn” is a non-fiction book about the difficult relationship between queer viewers and mainstream television series like “Gilmore Girls” or “This Is Us”. It explores why queer people are drawn to these “normporn” shows, even though they misrepresent us and create false images of an idyllic, liberal and tolerant America.

I picked up this book because one of my new goals is to learn more about film criticism (part of the degree I’m starting in October is about English & American film & television so I’m preparing), despite not being the kind of queer viewer Tongson writes about. I’ve never watched any of the shows explored in the book, nor do I have the desire to. So I can tell you first-hand: it’s an interesting book, even if you know nothing about the five TV shows it explores.

To no one’s surprise, the explorations of “norm culture” and the ever-changing norms to include and exclude certain groups of people were most interesting to me. The author made some interesting points about the changing definition of “queer” and “normal” over the course of time, always expanding to include more identities and living styles, but ever-excluding.

Lots of the reviews I’ve read mention the academic language this book is written in and I definitely agree but I’d also argue that it is quite accessible academic language – I’ve read essays that are much worse in terms of comprehension. The paragraphs were all of a descent size but not too long to become incomprehensible or unclear and there weren’t any long run-on sentences that you read ten times and still don’t understand.

Overall, I found this book informative and will definitely be returning to my notes in the future to think about the topic some more!

To be transparent, I have enjoyed Karen Tongson's writing for years and could not wait to read NORMPORN. I understand that some people have been disappointed that the book is academic; however, I Tongson makes complex subjects and theories accessible to a broad range of readers. I highly recommend this book and have already enjoyed some great discussions about it with my students.

3 stars⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
An academic esque read about queers, media and the related complexities involved in all these overlaps. I wasn't expecting this to be as academic as it was, and was hoping for something a bit more accessible. However, the author did a good job at what it seems she was intending to do. The three stars is partly I was hoping for a more accessible read and also, she did great at exploring this topic. Also, the title. I love it

This book was definitely more academic than I was expecting based on the blurb. I did learn something, but it was not something I would have initially picked up.
I think this book has its place and is an interesting read. Just not necessarily for me.

[Digital copy provided by Netgalley]

This was a really informative and deeply interesting read. Through detailed examination of a handful of TV shows the author deftly examines the concept of normalcy and how it has changed through the decades. Moreover, there is a deep dive into why general audiences (in particular queer, white, left-leaning ones) keep being enthralled and emotionally effected by family-centric shows such as This Is Us. As someone who hadn't seen any of the shows the author focuses on, I found myself pretty compelled throughout, even if the emotional impact was predictably a lot less than if you are or have been a fan. While at times I found this book to be a little overwrought and navel-gazey in its writing and definitely more academic than not, it is also offering deep analysis, insightful comparisons, and a lot of content to consider. A worthy read!

I'll be the first to admit that Normporn wasn't quite what I was expecting. It did read on the dry side, even for an academic and critical lens, but it was still readable. It felt like it didn't find a sweet spot of "just right" in terms of how in-depth or how broad the analysis was, which left me wanting more out of it. I do wish there was more of a variety of pop culture shows that were looked at given the broadness of queer experiences, as well as more thought on but I did appreciate the handful chosen. Overall, I'd recommend this to those who might be more familiar with the shows discussed because the book doesn't really go into enough detail to pull in readers who may not be as familiar.

Thank you to NYU Press and NetGalley for my copy of this book! I was drawn to the description of Tongson interrogating why queer people love watching shows like Gilmore Girls and This is Us. The book wasn't exactly what I expected--it's a very academic text, which isn't what I usually read. But I really enjoyed looking at these shows through that kind of critical lens.

Tongson talks a lot about what makes something a social norm, what makes something queer, the history of what she describes as "normporn" (sentimentalist, mostly white liberal TV), and then goes more in-depth to discuss each of the shows she chooses through the normporn categorization. I think I was left a bit disappointed, because I came into this wondering *why* queer people continue to revisit these shows, and that wasn't really the point of the book. I think the point was more how these shows come about in their respective political climates and how they reflect changing social norms.

I'm glad that I read about the media we consume from a different perspective than I'm used to!

I came into this book with no background in the concept of ‘normporn’ or academic background in related fields but based on the book description, as a queer woman and a major Gilmore Girls fan, I was really interested in reading about the concept of normporn and in finding out - why do I want to watch Gilmore girls every fall? While it is definitely an academic style text, I do think it's an interesting read if you’re someone who likes to evaluate the content you’re consuming and if you are someone who has watched (or watches repetitively) the shows which are discussed in this book.

While I haven’t seen the shows discussed predecessors or successors, it was really interesting to read about how the defined genre had popped up and grown from thirtysomethings to the series’ like This is Us which are now almost moving beyond what the ‘normporn’ genre entails at they make room for real discussion and growth within the shows. While I know the author mentioned keeping the amount of shows discussed small for brevity’s sake, I would have loved to hear about more examples of what would be the height of the normporn genre to get a better grasp of the idea and the benefits and detriments it brings to us as viewers.

I really enjoyed this however it may not be for everyone. This reads like a thesis. For those who want something on the easy side to read, this aint it.

I can see this as a fantastic resource for some of my friends going into screenwriting and the writer is astute and critical in their research. The work is well sourced, and genuinely interesting. Time and care have gone into this exploration of how queer viewers interact with tv media. I think a lot of criticism comes down to how this book is marketed. It’s highly academic, and I personally didn’t mind this, but that’s because I’m very used to the realm of literary criticism and journals in academia. Without some sort of background, I think this text struggles with accessibility. Now, that doesn’t mean that this is not a wealth of information, just that I wish it would be advertised appropriately.

Fair warning, if you're not into reading super critical, academic non-fiction you will find this book difficult to read. I'll be honest, even I had to read some passages a couple of times to fully grasp the writer's intent. Overall, I found it informative and thought provoking. I've even dropped some nuggets from the book during pop culture chats with my coworkers. That alone makes it worth a read.

Disclaimer: I am a big time fan of the author's podcast and was truly chuffed to see her work pop up on NetGalley.

Thank you to NYU Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Norm poen by Karen Tongson
I was so excited to read this after reading the description and with the hilarious title. I felt let down. I didn’t click with so much of the book, it was incredibly heavy and academic, and I didn’t think this was reflected in the description at all. I expected something really different and referencing.more from right now in a casual way. I wish the description would reflect the writing style and that this is more an academic reference than a fun read.

This is an interesting perspective on the movement to normalize queerness through media, what normalization means, and whether it's possible.

It opened with an introduction that was dense with pop culture and political references, some of which lacked context, and featured different chapters that analysed some prominent TV shows from the 90s - aughts. It is written by a cultural critic, and it's apparent how tapped into the cultural conversations around these shows the author is.

This is an interesting topic and I appreciate the author for taking it on and speaking openly about her own experience growing up with these works.

Personally I was hoping for a wider array of TV shows to be analysed, I was looking forward to seeing my own favorite shows featured, but the focus was on a small number of shows. This will probably be most interesting to those born in the 1970s or 80s, due to the references.