Pop Culture

Jeans are a type of trouser developed in 1873 and have been appropriated from work pants, typically worn by men, to the high fashion influence jeans have today. Jeggings are highly influenced by jeans, but what influenced the development from jeans to jeggings? How did the culture, political, and fashion influence decisions the designers made to develop their point of view? In this book, middle school readers will learn the answers to these questions and will be excited to understand how fashion designers use cultural and historical influences in their work. This book examines, decade by decade, how what was happening in the United Sates in culture, politics, and economics influenced fashion, specifically jeans, and vice versa throughout the post-World War II era. This high-interest book includes the history, current status and future of the art form and features rich illustrations, primary sources, and the historical and cultural context.

Video games have taken America by storm. Readers will learn about the rise of gaming culture from the first games like Pong to the sensation of Minecraft. This book also examines some of the controversies and innovative technologies that have made gaming one of America's favorite pastimes.

Each generation has cultural icons that take the world by storm and mark the most popular trends in America. Take a look back at some of these iconic individuals and trends and their lasting effects on American people and culture.

Today people are more connected than ever, with mobile technologies allowing people from all over the world to connect within seconds through a wide array of social applications. Trace the history of communication from the start of the Internet age to the birth of the smartphone.

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? In this curious and entertaining book, readers will learn that both are true. Author Daniel Benjamin takes readers on a journey from the gritty realism of post-World War II cinema through the innovations of the 1960s to the blockbuster hits of the 1980s and the very mixed bag of the early twenty-first century. This record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

Series consultant and author Mark Mussari takes readers on a journey from the beginnings of rock and roll and the nascent youth culture of the 1950s and 1960s through the materialistic years of the 1980s into the still-being-defined early twenty-first century. In this fascinating book, this record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

"I Love Lucy" and "Mad Men" are both iconic television shows that mirror a specific decade in time. Both productions expose the role of women in society. One in 1950s America, one in 1960s America. How did the referenced culture and political climate influence the decisions creators made to explain their point of view? Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Author Mark Mussari takes readers on a journey from the beginnings of television, when families sat in the living room and watched the one television set they might be lucky to own, to the present, where an increasing number watch television on iPhones or on DVRs rather than in real time. This record of the ever-changing world of American culture is highlighted with a fabulous variety of photographs from the last six decades.

A good book has the power to touch readers and provide insightful commentary into the human condition and current events. This title examines the greatest literary hits to take America by storm from the 1950s to present day.