{"product_id":"index-jeff-pike-9780692629581","title":"Index: Essays, Fragments, and Liberal Arts Homework","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou can dissect a song or analyze a movie until you're blue in the face. But when a favorite TV show or a book really, truly speaks to you, it's a feeling you just can't explain. There's no mathematical formula for that otherworldly joy, that love that drives fans to obsess over their media darlings. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSo what's a critic of pop culture to do when forced to find a balance between dissecting the value of this media and simply letting the magic of enjoyment happen?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSince 2006, Jeff Pike has been discussing these conundrums of cultural criticism while reviewing music, books, and movies on his blog \u003ci\u003eCan't Explain\u003c\/i\u003e. There, he contemplates the value of mindless versus mindful entertainment, issues of consensus and taste, and the complexities of constructing a cultural canon.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNow, in this collection of short essays, Pike provides a fascinating look into his life and work as a media critic with a handpicked selection of reviews from his blog.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrganized alphabetically, from \u003ci\u003eAI: Artificial Intelligence\u003c\/i\u003e to an analysis of the letter Z, \u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e serves as a guide to pop culture and the reasons we love it-written for people everywhere who love to listen, read, and watch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jeff Pike\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0692629580\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780692629581\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pike Editorial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/09\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 356\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.74d","brand":"Jeff Pike","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48443626684671,"sku":"9780692629581","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b7487f21-a604-4c3d-a773-f693629ec143.jpg?v=1777206722","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/index-jeff-pike-9780692629581","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}