Table of Contents

PROLOGUE
Are We Having Fun Yet?

CHAPTER 1
Here’s the Deal

CHAPTER 2
Pop Talk Is History

CHAPTER 3
What’s Black, Then White, and Said All Over?

CHAPTER 4
Don’t Even Think About Telling Me “I Don’t Think So”: The Media, Meanness, and Me

CHAPTER 5
The Great American Yesss!

CHAPTER 6
Populist Pop and the Regular Guy

CHAPTER 7
The Community of Commitment-Centered Words

CHAPTER 8
Digital Talk in the Unit States of America

EPILOGUE
It’s Like, You Know, the End

Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
Permissions Acknowledgments

About the Author

Leslie Savan wrote a column about advertising and commercial culture for The Village Voice for thirteen years. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 1991, 1992, and 1997. In 1996 she was named one of "The Top Ten Media Heroes" by the Institute for Alternative Journalism. She has been a commentator for Fresh Air and has appeared on the ABC and CBSnational newscasts, NPR, and The O'Reilly Factor. She has written for The New York Times,Time, The New Yorker, TheLos Angeles Times, Mademoiselle, and Salon, among other publications. Her essays have been reprinted in numerous textbooks and anthologies. Her previous book, The Sponsored Life- Ads, TV, and American Culture, is a collection of her columns.

Reviews

“A sharp . . . analysis of the phenomenon Savan calls pop language. . . . Inspired.” –The New York Times"Savvy and entertaining. . . . The range of influences on pop talk is astonishing." –The Seattle Times“A super-smart explanation of modern pop vocabulary . . . studded with observational gems and conversational jams.” –The Miami Herald"Entertaining. . . . From a crisp etymology of the word cool to an articulate defense of the word like. . . . A highly readable story about rhetoric and American culture." –Time Out New York