Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman [Paperback]

Adam Sexton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1992

From cartoons to academic essays to tabloid journalism, Madonna has been interpreted in almost every way possible. Here is an original collection of these writings that is almost as diverse as the Material Girl herself which attempts to uncover as many interpretations of Madonna's appeal as is possible. Photographs and cartoons.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The wide range of sources from which music journalist Sexton has culled articles, cartoons and poems for this anthology is evidence of its diversity: it includes Mad magazine, YM , the National Review and Christianity and Crisis. With the exception of Henry Rollins's poem, in which he admits that Madonna arouses in him a desire to ``shop at Sears,'' the overly reverent pieces--such as Helen Gurley Brown's coy admission that she too is a material girl and Camille Paglia's predictable vision of Madonna as the only true feminist--have a stale flavor. On the other hand, Ruth Conniff's thoughtful essay should be the final word on Madonna as mere boy toy, and in a re-reading of Madonna's attitudes toward race and sexuality, bell hooks posits that Madonna's messages in these areas (as revealed by her treatment of employees in Truth or Dare ) are less benign than they seem. Sexton has the good sense not to take his subject too seriously, and so has included such gems as the results of a ``symposium survey'' that solicited opinions on Madonna's taste in men (``Yucky'') and bad things the participants had heard about the performer (``She's from Worcester, Mass.'').

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Love her or hate her, Madonna is an inescapable figure in the contemporary cultural landscape. This collection of essays, reviews, cartoons, and ephemera (e.g., Rol ling Stone 's annual polls; David Letterman's "Top Ten" list) is an eloquent and often amusing testimony to her persuasiveness. Camille Paglia, Art Buchwald, John Simon, Andrew Greeley, Ellen Goodman, and a host of less-than-household names have a shot at the Woman of a Thousand Phases. The editor offers his own thoughts in a free-ranging introduction that neatly sums up his subject as "the ultimate performance artist." Unfortunately, this book went to press before Madonna's latest artistic works, the book Sex (Warner, 1992) and the film Body of Evidence (1993), preoccupied the nation; undoubtedly, a full-length sequel could be compiled from these controversial additions to her repertoire. For popular culture collections.
- Thomas Wiener, formerly with "American Film"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Delta (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385306881
• ISBN-13: 978-0385306881
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,108,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Madonna

More About the Author

More than fifty of my articles and short-stories have been published in the New York Times, the Village Voice, the Boston Phoenix, the Bellevue Literary Review, and elsewhere; and I have read from my work and/or appeared on panels at NYU, SUNY Binghamton, the Knitting Factory (N.Y.C.) and Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn). I have lectured on writing and literature at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., Kelly Writers' House at the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Club in New York City, and in Central Park. I have been interviewed about writing and literature by Time, the Washington Post, Poets & Writers, and npr.com, and one of my classes was broadcast on BBC radio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The literary hodgepodge of Madonna, January 26, 2001

By 

Charley Harjo "pop music fan" (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman (Paperback)

This book contains 51 different articles, thesis', poems and rants about Madonna, by authors varied as Camille Paglia and Vincent Canby to Henry Rollins and Liz Smith. It includes various one page cartoons and strips from "Mad" magazine and the Village Voice, and also in the mix are Rolling Stone poll results, a David Letterman top ten list about "Truth or Dare", and Sandra Bernhard writing about her Madonna dreams from her book "Confessions of a Pretty Lady". This book is chock full of more useless information about Madonna that us fans crave, new and old...The information covers roughly the 1984-1991 era (her most active IMHO) and is very entertaining, though not for the average reader. Madonna fans will find this book a great resource and companion to "The Madonna Companion", also a collection of written works about Madonna, though it is more on the scholarly edge. So this book is recommended to Madonna collectors, and all others...Borrow it from your own "Madonna freak".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pop culture criticism at its best!, July 19, 2006

By 

Jacqueline Burt-wang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman (Paperback)

Whether you're a devotee or detractor of the lady in question, "Desperately Seeking Madonna" never fails to entertain (and even educate). Sexton features an impressive array of contributors (where else can you find essays by both Camille Paglia and Henry Rollins?) and himself uses Madonna as a springboard for such thought-provoking questions as "does our culture need to pigeonhole women in order to understand them?" An intelligent, fun and fascinating read.

3.0 out of 5 stars Many Essays, February 22, 2010

By 

Shatzi Crabtree (KS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Desperately Seeking Madonna: In Search of the Meaning of the World's Most Famous Woman (Paperback)

Book contains many essays of varying dates, all about Madonna herself and her supposed impact on society. It was everything it was promised to be, although I still cannot get into the whole Madonnamania thing. She's more of an exhibitionist than anything else. If she hadn't crucified herself and hitchiked naked she would be forgotten by now, but that's just my opinion. Some essays are very favorable, some more critical. Good book for the fan or critic, or anyone into music.