The Stars in Our Eyes: The Famous, the Infamous, and Why We Care Way Too Much about Them

The Stars in Our Eyes: The Famous, the Infamous, and Why We Care Way Too Much about Them by Julie Klam

Rating: 3 stars

Expected publication date: July 18, 2017

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

 

Let me begin by saying that while I was kinda meh about this, I do think it is a book a lot of other people will like.  I am not the People or EW reading type, and I have never watched reality TV.  I thought this was going to be a more scientific look at the concept of celebrity and why we are so invested in others we will never know personally, similar to this BBC article.  Instead it was Klam and her family members’ personal thoughts on celebrities and interviews with stars (more reasonable B-level stars, not A-listers or current mega-celebrities) sprinkled throughout.

While I was disappointed that this was not a more rigorous view of the topic, Klam herself is hilarious and I loved her stories.  My one complaint is when she examined the pitfalls of being a celebrity and the constant media scrutiny, she used examples from stars that were famous before 2000.  While I believe they did face intense pressure and media scrutiny, the more widespread use of the internet and social media since then makes their experiences extremely outdated compared to what mega-celebrities go through today.  It would have been interesting to view fame through today’s lens with Twitter, Instagram, and 24/7 celebrity “news” sites.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and funny take on celebrities and fame, but don’t expect any rigorous analysis or new insights.