Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture »

This balanced examination looks at America's pervasive celebrity culture, concentrating on the period from 1950 to the present day.

Library Journal

The author of 16 books on media topics, Riley (communications, Virginia Tech) and 30 other scholars and experts in the field have compiled this one-volume encyclopedia on topics and issues related to the culture of celebrity. This is not a biographical encyclopedia; although many celebrities are named in the articles and listed in the index, the 86 entries cover such topics as the antihero, arrests of celebrities, corporate celebrity, humanitarian efforts, paparazzi, and temporary celebrity. The volume begins with a "List of Entries," a five-page introduction that discusses the differences between fame and celebrity, and an eight-page time line ranging from the 1776 appointment of Benjamin Franklin as the U.S. commissioner to France to the 2009 death of Michael Jackson. It is unfortunate that the time line items are not included in the general index. The volume ends with a ten-page "Selected Bibliography," the general index, and the list of contributors. The 40 black-and-white photos are of poor quality and add little to the text, but the large, bold headers, wide margins, and eye-pleasing font make this an attractive work. BOTTOM LINE This offers a much more thoughtful approach to celebrity than other pop culture works aimed at high school students and undergraduates. Recommended for high school, public, and undergraduate academic collections supporting curricula or interests in popular culture.—Rosanne M. Cordell, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend