The beloved and bestselling "anthropologist of everyday life" turns her witty and insightful gaze to the oddities of living in our modern world Over the course of her time as a contributor and editor for Saturday Night magazine-a span during which she published her award-winning book The Rituals of Dinner-Margaret Visser specialized in thought-provoking columns capable of turning the banal into the extraordinary. From high heels to showers to the metamorphosis of Santa Claus, these essays span an eclectic and engrossing range of topics perfect for Visser fans and newcomers alike. With academic rigor and a warm narrative style, she takes commonplace facets of everyday life-crossword puzzles, fireplaces, paid time off-and digs into their peculiar origins and surprising social legacies. In examining some of the most ordinary elements of life, Visser sorts through historical facts and cultural implications to reveal the hidden assumptions behind our modern behavior.
"[Visser starts] from a comfy, well-bolstered position a nice tan makes us look healthier, for example, or Valentine's Day cards are tackyand then, before we even have our seatbelts fastened, we find ourselves whisked away in a series of brisk paragraphs through historical contexts and cultural cross-references to a destination that is neither comfy nor commonplace."
