Pulphead

More about the book

A sharp-eyed, humane exploration of America's cultural landscape by an award-winning literary nonfiction star. The author takes us on an exhilarating journey through our popular and forgotten culture, channeling the gonzo energy of Hunter S. Thompson and the wit of Joan Didion. With a laidback, erudite Southern charm, he reveals how we truly live today. In Kentucky, he introduces us to Constantine Rafinesque, a 19th-century polymath who created a dense, fantastical prehistory of the New World. He then travels to the Ozarks for a Christian rock festival and Florida to meet alumni of MTV's Real World, who have built a self-perpetuating economy of minor celebrity. The journey continues across the South, tracing the roots of the blues, and to Indiana to explore the early years of Michael Jackson and Axl Rose. The narrative also takes us to the Gulf Coast post-Katrina, where residents confront the BP oil spill. Gradually, a unifying story emerges, revealing a side of America we've never heard before. It’s a fun-house hall-of-mirrors tour that reflects who we are in unexpected ways, evoking laughter and tears alike—an undeniable testament to the power of the author's work.