{"title":"Books by Will Brooker","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781529136029","title":"The Truth About Lisa Jewell","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e*For those aspiring authors who are interested in the path to success*\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I read this yesterday in one glorious sitting! What an \u003cb\u003eabsolute treat\u003c\/b\u003e of a book!' \u003cb\u003eLesley Kara\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eIlluminating, revealing and absolutely fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e, Will Brooker offers us the keys to the Jewell kingdom.' \u003cb\u003eVanessa Fox O'Loughlin \u003c\/b\u003eaka Sam Blake\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHave you ever thought about what it takes to become a bestselling writer?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf so, \u003ci\u003eThe Truth About Lisa Jewell\u003c\/i\u003e is the book for you. It is the story of how a novel is written, from before the start to after the finish; it's an in-depth analysis of how that novel fits into a bestselling author like Lisa Jewell's career and her previous work, and what her style shares with authors from James Joyce to Martin Amis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut this is more than just a study of an author at the top of her game. Like Lisa Jewell's much-loved novels, it's also the story of a relationship - between the bestselling author and the professor of cultural studies who has made her his muse - evolving slowly as the world comes gradually out of Covid. It's the story of two very different writers getting to know each other gradually through words; two complete strangers becoming something more like friends.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA must-have for fans of Lisa Jewell, for aspiring authors who are interested in the path to success - and a testament to the way books can bring us together. . .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders LOVE The Truth About Lisa Jewell . . .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***** 'This book is perfect for fans and aspiring writers alike ... It's faultless to the point that I'd say it's a must read for anyone interested in Lisa Jewell or her work.'\u003cbr\u003e***** 'An insightful and well written book.'\u003cbr\u003e***** 'Brooker ... succeeds in being a great guide to [Lisa Jewell's] progression.'\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204672618674,"sku":"9781529136029","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529136029_3e812647-bc3b-4c6f-9a6b-2e278bbcf45c.jpg?v=1786021857"},{"product_id":"9780008313753","title":"Why Bowie Matters","description":"\u003cp\u003eA unique, moving and dazzlingly researched exploration of the places, people, musicians, writers and filmmakers that inspired David Jones to become David Bowie, what we can learn from his life’s work and journey, and why he will always matter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen David Bowie died on 10th January 2016, it seemed the whole world was united in mourning. His greatest hits were sung tearfully in pubs up and down Britain, garlands of flowers were left at the Aladdin Sane mural in his old stomping ground of Brixton and tributes poured in from a galaxy of stars. To many of us, Bowie was so much more than a pop idol. But why?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Why Bowie Matters, Professor Will Brooker answers that question persuasively, as both a fan and an academic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Bowie obsessive since childhood, he hit the headlines over the course of a year-long immersive research project that took him from London to Berlin and New York, following in Bowie’s footsteps, only listening to music and reading books he loved, and even at times adopting his fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this original and illuminating book, Professor Brooker approaches Bowie from various angles, re-tracing his childhood on the streets of Bromley, taking us through his record collection and bookshelves, and deciphering the symbols and codes of his final work, Blackstar to piece together how an ordinary suburban teenager turned himself into a legend, and how perhaps we too could be a little more Bowie. He shows us that while David Robert Jones died on that terrible day in January, David Bowie will live on forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56221401678197,"sku":"9780008313753","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008313753_5e4d8755-d1ef-4a4f-96dc-c69780c91708.jpg?v=1785658796"},{"product_id":"9781839021633","title":"Star Wars","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe release of \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e in 1977 marked the start of what would become a colossal global franchise. \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e remains the second highest-grossing film in the United States, and George Lucas's six-part narrative has grown into something more: a culture that goes far beyond the films themselves, with tie-in toys, novels, comics, games and DVDs as well as an enthusiastic fan community which creates its own \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e fictions. Critical studies of \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e have treated it as a cultural phenomenon, or in terms of its special effects, fans and merchandising, or as a film that marked the end of New Hollywood's innovation and the birth of the blockbuster.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Will Brooker's illuminating study of the film takes issue with many of these commonly-held ideas about \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e. He provides a close analysis of \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e as a film, carefully examining its shots, editing, sound design, cinematography and performances.  Placing the film in the context of George Lucas's previous work, from his student shorts to his 1970s features, and the diverse influences that shaped his approach, from John Ford to Jean-Luc Godard, Brooker argues that \u003ci\u003eStar Wars \u003c\/i\u003eis not, as Lucas himself has claimed, a departure from his earlier cinema, but a continuation of his experiments with sound and image. He reveals Lucas's contradictory desires for total order and control, embodied by the Empire, and for the raw energy and creative improvisation of the Rebels. What seemed a simple fairy-tale becomes far more complex when we realise that the director is rooting for both sides; and this tension unsettles the saga as a whole, blurring the boundaries between Empire and Republic, dark side and light side, father and son.\u003cbr\u003eIn his foreword to this new edition, Will Brooker discusses is how subsequent films in the series, specifically \u003ci\u003eRogue One \u003c\/i\u003e(2016) and \u003ci\u003eThe Last Jedi \u003c\/i\u003e(2017), foregrounded and developed the themes of opposition that are at the heart of \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e.  He shows how Derridean theories of opposites which become undermined and subverted, and which change places are made more clear with hindsight and provide us with a useful lens for looking back at the 1977 \u003ci\u003eStar Wars\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307613598069,"sku":"9781839021633","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781839021633_8c48fe92-d44d-49a0-b396-157ee2c706dd.jpg?v=1786028742"},{"product_id":"reality-crisis","title":"Reality Crisis","description":"Reality Crisis explores how the multiverse has evolved from a science fiction convention into a framework for understanding contemporary culture, examining alternate realities, competing truths, and multiple versions of the self across entertainment, politics, technology, and everyday life.   This book traces the multiverse’s rise across popular culture, from major franchises including Marvel, DC, Star Wars and Blade Runner to films such as Everything Everywhere All At Once, connecting them to post-truth politics, AI deepfakes, social media algorithms and immersive nostalgia. Drawing on theories of cultural resistance and metamodernism, it examines the oscillation between authenticity and artificiality, irony and sincerity, despair and hope. Combining close analysis with wide-ranging commentary, the book explores what it means to navigate a world where reality has become multiple choice.   Written for students and scholars in media studies, cultural studies, film and television studies, and contemporary philosophy, as well as general readers interested in cultural and technological change. Suitable for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate courses exploring contemporary media, reality, and identity.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682587910517,"sku":"9781032669854","price":43.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57593953583477,"sku":"9781032669830","price":171.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781032669854_5a231c8e-f9d7-4e08-8a74-21e54b03ff28.jpg?v=1792511523"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-will-brooker.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}