Milwaukee. Part coming out story, part nostalgic road trip, part enlightenment. All while laughing along the way. A book that prompted me to listen to NSYNC’s No Strings Attached album from start to finish, to reminisce about my days working for Sam Goody (and the fast friendships I made there 🥺), and to transport to Friday nights watching the TGIF line up (“Did I do that?” is forever ingrained in my brain). If you are an elder millennial (not particularly a fan of that verbiage but it could be worse) or millennial, you will enjoy this trip through the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. Not only will it dredge up any feelings during that time, it will shed some light on what we may have missed while being so incredibly present in our lives (unlike today’s social media obsessed world). Recommend, recommend, recommend.

I loved the voice and writing style of this book, but I just found the stories quite hard to get through. It didn’t feel like there was a hook to any of them, so about half way through I found my interest starting to wane.

A memoir-in-essays offering hilarious and insightful reflections on 1990s pop culture and personal experiences from Ira Madison, former King of getting suspended on Twitter for hysterical commentary. The world needs more Ira!!

Ira Madison III’s Pure Innocent Fun is an absolute joy to read, especially if you, like me, have a shared experience of marginalization during the middle school and high school years. Madison’s voice is relatable, candid, and full of humor, making his journey feel like one that’s deeply familiar and comforting. It was great to hear from someone who went through the same kind of trials I did, making me feel seen in a way that I don’t often find in books.

But beyond the personal connection, Pure Innocent Fun was a ride of pure nostalgia. The way Madison weaves in references to Buffy and Drag Race, along with some of the most iconic Bravo moments, brought me back to my earlier days as an elder millennial. There’s something magical about revisiting the pop culture that shaped our pasts, and Ira’s storytelling had me grinning from ear to ear.

As a huge fan of his podcast Keep It, it was a treat to read something from Ira that captured his same wit and energy. His writing feels like listening to an old friend spill their best stories, which is why I couldn’t resist grabbing a second copy of the book. I’m definitely giving it to one of my friends who’s just as obsessed with pop culture as I am. This text is a must-read for anyone who loves nostalgia, pop culture, and hearing from someone whose experiences resonate on a deeply personal level.

Ok, where to start. I liked this book for the most part. I like to read about pop culture and memoirs. But, this was a little long winded. I just felt that they tried to cram a lot of different things in each chapter. I just felt it was too much. It sometimes felt like word salad. But, when it didn’t feel like too much it was good.

Writing was a bit chaotic and all over the place. I was very excited for this one, given my love for pop culture and it just didn't do it for me. I don't think I was the actual target demographic here, but still a fun and enjoyable read. I think others will really find a good time with this one. Easy to get through as its just 16 essays.

I listen to Keep It religiously and I was anxiously awaiting this title. It definitely did not disappoint. Madison is so witty and incisive in his critique and reflection on pop culture.

I’m a fan of Ira Madison from the Keep It podcast, which I’ve listened to for several years. He is a storehouse of cultural trivia, on full display in this book of essays. Each one started one place and ended somewhere totally different, but I think that meant I didn’t ever really feel like I could hook into it. If you are around his age and familiar with the pop culture he references, you’ll enjoy this one.

Pure Innocent Fun: Essays by Ira Madison III is a collection of sixteen essays about a variety of pop-culture ideas. This was a fun, nostalgic read, and the author did a great job sharing what cultural moments had influence on him. His humor shone throughout his writing. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Hilarious, tender-hearted, honest: these are just a few of the words I’d use to describe PURE INNOCENT FUN. I’ve been a fan of Ira’s since his podcast, KEEP IT, started in 2018.

Every week, he and his co-host debate pop culture and this book of essays feels like a natural continuation of that, but with a more personal spin.

PURE INNOCENT FUN gives you everything you’d expect from Ira and more: come for the accents (😉), stay for the backstory on his love for Salt and Angelina Jolie (IYKYK).

Being the host and creator of his own podcast, Ira’s voice is perfect for the audiobook. As a fan, I loved hearing him telling his own stories.

I couldn’t wait to own a copy of this book, and to add it to my collection. I can’t recommend it (and KEEP IT) more.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC!

Pure Innocent Fun was a fun read but ultimately forgettable. I was excited to learn more about Ira and his insight on pop culture but walked away not learning new about either.

As a Keep It! fan, I was really excited to read "Pure Innocent Fun" and it did not disappoint! Excellent pop culture insight (as always) from Ira, presented in a hilarious and touching way. This brought back so many memories from my childhood (I long for the summer days I spent at movie theaters!!!) and the nostalgia factor was 10/10!

One of the more personal books on early 2000s culture and history. This will be very popular with folks interested in pop culture, nostalgia, and humorous cultural critiques.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. As an avid listener (since day 1!!) of the author's podcast, "Keep It", I was so so excited to get receive a copy of this book. Ira Madison's takes on all things pop culture are something I look forward to each and every week so the idea of a full book of them was thrilling. Unfortunately, I found myself liking but not loving this book.

I think using different pieces of popular media such as films and TV shows to talk about his experience growing up was a great idea. And most of the essays have portions of them that I really like or even love. However, I think a lot of them veer off into long tangents that ultimately take away from the meaning or the point that the author is trying to make. However, I am both a little younger than Ira so maybe some of the connections do not hit as well for me and I completely understand that we do not share many of the same demographics and so some references just may not be for me.

Even still, I enjoyed all of the both popular and more obscure pop culture references here. I think if you are someone who lives on Wikipedia trying to absorb every kernel of knowledge possible, you will likely enjoy this book. I definitely want to read Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs now too, so thank you for the recommendation!

Although I am not the intended audience for this book, I enjoyed reading Ira Madison III’s opinions about pop culture. This is a humorous book with an impactful message. His at times controversial remarks about TV shows of the 90’s-2000’s made me reconsider some of my prior opinions about what seemed so important at the time (i.e., in the pre-Cosby scandal days, when classic sit-com TV was perceived as culturally enlightening comedy gold). Many messages conveyed to us from must-see TV were not so brilliant after all. His observations remind me is good to recheck former attitudes. His personal struggles as a gay man, and his tentative approaches to sex, is as vulnerable and honest as any I have read prior. His love of his grandmother and the credit he gives her for being his safe haven is poignant. How wonderful to have had her love and support in those early days!
I appreciate Ira Madison III helping me to rethink so much about those days, and what constituted popular entertainment, through his uniquely personal point of view. It also made me reflect about what life must have been like for some of my closeted friends of the 80s. There were cracks everywhere. There was so much ignorance and lack of empathy about what it is to struggle as a sensitive human being. It made me a little ashamed to have shared reruns of some of these shows with my kids in the early 90s (again, pre-Cosby scandal days) without pointing out the hypocrisy of American life being depicted vs. lived experience. I appreciate the reminder of what was real. I appreciate his honesty. It was an enjoyable read.

I listen to Keep It every week, and I was so excited to hear Ira was writing a book. It doesn't disappoint! This was an informative and engaging read filled with pop culture commentary and personal reflections.

At times laugh out loud funny, this was an enjoyable foray into the author’s life, told through the lens of pop culture. I laughed. Often. I enjoyed Madison’s reflections on pop culture, the conclusions he drew, and the way he shared them. This was a charming and enjoyable memoir.

We need more pop culture memoirs like this one, centered on a delightful main character of an author and focused on joy, nostalgia, and reflection.

Technically this is an essay collection rather than a memoir, but it’s organized such that it reads more like the latter (don’t worry, Madison is both funny and interesting and a delight to spend time with in this regard).

To that end, I thought Madison did a lovely job of both personalizing the experience and capturing the collective experience. A lot of this centers on the early 2000s, but there’s some good content from a bit earlier and a bit later as well.

Madison tried to capture a lot of how pop culture helped shape his identity as well as how his identity shaped his taste in pop culture, and he was successful on both counts.

But in the end, he’s mostly a good hang and a thoughtful reminiscer who wrote a truly enjoyable collection of personal essays.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Thanks to Random House and the author for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are a lot of things here I can relate to, and several I obviously can't. I, oddly, did grow up watching almost the exact same shows as Madison (except for the soaps... never watched any soaps, except for the show of the same name, which is briefly mentioned and--rightfully--said by the author to be the superior show in relation to its spin off). Again, while there were some obvious things in regards to his high school experience that I couldn't relate to, I still felt the struggles with self-image were very universal. I really loved how he used his love of pop culture (particularly of the 90s) to showcase his different struggles and how he dealt with them. I can't say I agree with all his pop culture opinions, though. There was a moment where he said something to the effect of sitcoms having no jokes in them anymore, that they relied mostly on funny situations... and I'd like to point out that "sitcom" is a short-form combo word of "situational" and "comedy." Not that his point is lost on me. I think I got what he meant--less punchline type of jokes. He did also reference Ted Lasso in this point, and I do agree that the fact that this show being labeled as just a comedy doesn't do it justice. Dramedy would be much better (also a lover of that show).

I do feel the essays felt very contained to just this one short period of time: high school. I kind of wish they had expanded a bit beyond, maybe showing how he's grown a bit into the adult he is now. All in all, this is a very good read, and there were some really funny observations in here, regarding pop culture. Also, in a footnote, he compares a character from I believe was the OC to Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, saying something to the effect of realizing that they would were both more villainous than previously realized, and I would like to join him in shouting this completely true fact from the rooftops.