Review : Planet Simpson

Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece defined a generation, by Chris Turner

I have been reading this book on and off for a few months since getting a great deal on it in a used book store in Central Square. This is a very deep and insightful book, but not in the way that one might expect from looking at the cover. This book is a sweeping commentary on pop culture movements of the 90's, based mainly on what the author argues is its most representative symbol, The Simpsons TV show. The book starts with a chapter or two raving about the show and reviewing some trivia, while making the case that it is the symbol of culture for the 90's. The subsequent chapters generally start by making some point about the characters in the show and then using that point to jump to a detailed analysis of some other aspect of pop culture. These pop culture aspects included the rise of grunge music and the transformation of alternative rock, reality television, comedy, several underground movements and the internet. The author also provided interesting and generally middle-of-the-road observations on American politics (not bad for a radically liberal Canadian) and described how the rest of the world interacts with American culture. Not bad for a book about a cartoon. I enjoyed it and recommend it, unless you are just looking for empty Simpson trivia.