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Books > Sport & Leisure > Humour > General
"The fact of the matter is Joseph Kirkland was afraid. Afraid of
not being Saved. Afraid of being Saved. Afraid of the
transformation that would occur the moment he uttered those words,
Jesus! God! I want you to come into my heart!" Blessed Assurance is
a coming-of-age novel. It is set against the backdrop of a small
close-knit evangelical community in the fictional Scottish village
of Kilhaugh during a fog-bound December in the late
nineteen-sixties when the Cold War was on the brink of turning hot.
The story takes place over six soul-searching days in the life of
Godfearing dog-thief and pyromaniac, eleven-year-old Joseph
Kirkland, and his godless, devil-may-care best friend, Archie
Truman, as the perpetually guilt-ridden Joseph attempts to put
right what he believes to be the most terrible of lies. It is
peopled with colourful characters, peppered with moments of
tenderness, tragedy and occasional surreal humour. At its heart
though, Blessed Assurance is an exploration of family, friendship,
faith, loneliness and grief, and the compromises that sometimes
have to be made to remain part of our community.
Over the course of its seven-year run, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
cultivated a loyal fandom and featured a strong, complex female
lead, at a time when such a character was a rarity. Evan Ross Katz
explores the show's cultural relevance through a book that is part
oral history, part celebration, and part memoir of a personal
fandom that has universal resonance still, decades later. Katz-with
the help of the show's cast, creators, and crew-reveals that
although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender,
sexuality, and feminism, it was not free of internal strife,
controversy, and shortcomings. Men-both on screen and off-would
taint the show's reputation as a feminist masterpiece, and changing
networks, amongst other factors, would drastically alter the show's
tone. Katz addresses these issues and more, including interviews
with stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charisma Carpenter, Emma
Caulfield, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Seth
Green, Marc Blucas, Nicholas Brendon, Danny Strong, Tom Lenk,
Bianca Lawson, Julie Benz, Clare Kramer, K. Todd Freeman, Sharon
Ferguson; and writers Douglas Petrie, Jane Espenson, and Drew Z.
Greenberg; as well as conversations with Buffy fanatics and friends
of the cast including Stacey Abrams, Cynthia Erivo, Lee Pace,
Claire Saffitz, Tavi Gevinson, and Selma Blair. Into Every
Generation a Slayer Is Born engages with the very notion of fandom,
and the ways a show like Buffy can influence not only how we see
the world but how we exist within it.
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