{"product_id":"butts-a-backstory-9781982135485","title":"Butts: A Backstory","description":"\u003cb\u003eOne of \u003ci\u003eEsquire's \u003c\/i\u003e20 Best Books of Fall - One of \u003ci\u003eLitHub\u003c\/i\u003e's Most Anticipated Books of 2022 - One of \u003ci\u003eTime'\u003c\/i\u003es Most Anticipated Books of Fall \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A deeply thought, rigorously researched, and riveting history of human butts. Radke knows exactly when to approach her subject with levity and when with gravity. A pitch perfect debut.\" ?Melissa Febos, bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e Girlhood \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Body Work\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhether we love them or hate them, think they're sexy, think they're strange, consider them too big, too small, or anywhere in between, humans have a complicated relationship with butts. It is a body part unique to humans, critical to our evolution and survival, and yet it has come to signify so much more: sex, desire, comedy, shame. A woman's butt, in particular, is forever being assessed, criticized, and objectified, from anxious self-examinations trying on jeans in department store dressing rooms to enduring crass remarks while walking down a street or high school hallways. But why? In \u003ci\u003eButts: A Backstory, \u003c\/i\u003ereporter, essayist, and\u003ci\u003e RadioLab \u003c\/i\u003econtributing editor Heather Radke is determined to find out. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSpanning nearly two centuries, this vivid cultural history takes us from the performance halls of 19th-century London to the aerobics studios of the 1980s, the music video set of Sir Mix-a-Lot's \"Baby Got Back\" and the mountains of Arizona, where every year humans and horses race in a feat of gluteal endurance. Along the way, she meets evolutionary biologists who study how butts first developed; models whose measurements have defined jean sizing for millions of women; and the fitness gurus who created fads like \"Buns of Steel.\" She also examines the central importance of race through figures like Sarah Bartmann, once known as the \"Venus Hottentot,\" Josephine Baker, Jennifer Lopez, and other women of color whose butts have been idolized, envied, and despised. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePart deep dive reportage, part personal journey, part cabinet of curiosities, \u003ci\u003eButts \u003c\/i\u003eis an entertaining, illuminating, and thoughtful examination of why certain silhouettes come in and out of fashion--and how larger ideas about race, control, liberation, and power affect our most private feelings about ourselves and others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Avid Reader Press \/ Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/22\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781982135485\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.38h x 5.50w x 0.59d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2022\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Heather Radke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42406089916597,"sku":"9781982135485","price":24.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_dc5eec9f-0885-4ca2-9ca4-5c4058a13378.jpg?v=1664286169","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/butts-a-backstory-9781982135485","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}