On BTS

Pop Music, Fandom, Sincerity

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Pub Date Jan 10 2023 | Archive Date Jan 10 2023
Zando Projects | Atlantic Editions

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Description

The supersonic rise of the Korean pop group BTS may seem enigmatic to some, but for Lenika Cruz, senior culture editor at The Atlantic, their worldwide fame is obvious. As Cruz argues in On BTS: Pop Music, Fandom, Sincerity, the group’s trajectory—debuting on a relatively obscure label in Korea to becoming a global household name in just a few years—is a natural result of their authenticity, artistry, energy, social conscientiousness, and general coolness. As a non-English-language band finding record-breaking international success, BTS is helping usher in a fresh, more inclusive era in the music industry. In this love letter to the once-in-a-generation pop sensation, Cruz narrates her own unexpected embrace of the fandom and in doing so might welcome you in, too.

The supersonic rise of the Korean pop group BTS may seem enigmatic to some, but for Lenika Cruz, senior culture editor at The Atlantic, their worldwide fame is obvious. As Cruz argues in On BTS: Pop...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781638930648
PRICE $12.95 (USD)

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Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

This is quite enjoyable. These articles appeared in the Atlantic, and the follow the author as she writes about how she became an ARMY. If you are interested at all in BTS you will probably enjoy this book.

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💜 Do you have a favorite BTS song? Album? Bias?

BTS fandom rejoice! Here's a fabulous nonfiction read coming this spring!

If you're a fan of BTS and have trouble explaining to your friends, family, or co-workers just why you love the group so much, this book is for you!

Lenika Cruz writes for The Atlantic, and has collected her BTS essays together in this book.

She begins with "I wasn't a fan of BTS. And then I was."

"To confess these details is both cathartic and, given the stigma around fangirling, a little embarrassing," she writes. "Yet my whirlwind evolution from a nonbeliever to an ARMY isn't a rare one."

I loved this little book. I found myself in its pages, and can see how some of my ARMY friends would love it too 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

I also think this is the perfect book to share with people who have no idea why we love BTS.

Try "The Astonishing Duality of BTS" or "The Spectacular Vindication of BTS". These two chapters are so well written. Definitely the proof our passion is not misplaced.

"Imagine some 50,000 people gathered in the darkness as lights blink around them like stars. They're dancing like one body, singing with a single voice in a language that may not be their own. Many of the people in this little universe understand how easily their happiness at seeing a "boy band" or a "K-pop sensation" could be derided as trivial or childish. But that condenscension has no place here. As the night goes on, thoughts of what they've suffered or lost recently grow dimmer, and the strangers around them start to look like family." (Cruz 52)

I wish I had the way with words that BTS has. Lenika Cruz writes so well about the group. This is definitely a 5-star choice. 💜

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