Four million adults in the United States say that becoming famous is the most important goal in their lives. In any random sampling of one hundred American adults, two will have fame as their consuming desire. What motivates those who set fame as their priority, where did the desire come from, how does the pursuit of fame influence their lives, and how is it expressed? Based on the research of Orville Gilbert Brim, award-winning scholar in the field of child and human development, Look at Me! answers those questions. Look at Me! examines the desire to be famous in people of all ages, backgrounds, and social status and how succeeding or failing affects their lives and their personalities. It explores the implications of the pursuit of fame throughout a person's lifetime, covering the nature of the desire; fame, money, and power; the sources of fame; how people find a path to fame; the kinds of recognition sought; creating an audience; making fame last; and the resulting, often damaged, life of the fame-seeker. In our current age of celebrity fixation and reality television, Brim gives us a social-psychological perspective on the origins of this pervasive desire for fame and its effects on our lives. "Look at Me! is a fascinating in-depth study of society's obsession with fame. If you ever wondered what it's like to be famous, why fame comes to some and is sought by others, it's all here . . ." ---Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner "In a voice filled with wisdom and insight, daring and self-reflection, Orville Brim masterfully traces the developmental origins and trajectory of fame. Look at Me! lets us see---with new eyes---the cultural priorities and obsessions that feed our individual hunger and appetites. A rare and rewarding book." ---Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education at Harvard University and author of Respect and The Third Chapter Orville Gilbert Brim has had a long and distinguished career. He is the former director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development, former president of the Foundation for Child Development, former president of the Russell Sage Foundation, and author and coauthor of more than a dozen books about human development, intelligence, ambition, and personality. Cover image ©iStockphoto.com/susib

The author of Welcome to the New World and Bad Paper discusses America’s obsession with celebrity in this 2007 investigation. Why do more people watch American Idol than the nightly news? What is it about Paris Hilton’s dating life that lures us so? Why do teenage girls—when given the option of “pressing a magic button and becoming either stronger, smarter, famous, or more beautiful” —predominantly opt for fame? In this entertaining and enlightening book, Jake Halpern explores the fascinating and often dark implications of America’s obsession with fame. He travels to a Hollywood home for aspiring child actors and enrolls in a program that trains celebrity assistants. He visits the offices of Us Weekly and a laboratory where monkeys give up food to stare at pictures of dominant members of their group. The book culminates in Halpern’s encounter with Rod Stewart’s biggest fan, a woman from Pittsburgh who nominated the singer for Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Fame Junkies reveals how psychology, technology, and even evolution conspire to make the world of red carpets and velvet ropes so enthralling to all of us on the outside looking in. Praise for Fame Junkies “An astute look at the mighty vortex of fame, which this author believes will only get more powerful.” —Kirkus Reviews “Halpern displays an evocative, insiderish style reminiscent . . . of Tom Wolfe’s when he peered into 1960s celebrity culture.” —Wall Street Journal “A critical look at Americans’ infatuation with fame and determines that fame is elusive, desirable—and also possibly addictive . . . . [An] engaging study.” —Publishers Weekly

A debut collection of hilarious essays and endearing missteps on the road to becoming fame-ish—now in paperback! It’s not easy being kind of famous. Fortune. Younger men. Exclusive invites. Being mistaken for different actresses who are slightly prettier and more famous than you. It’s all part of the gig, and Mary Lynn Rajskub is a pro. Hilarious and self-deprecating, FAME-ISH is Mary Lynn Rajskub’s debut collection of riotously funny essays. Smart, satirical, and relatable, this book gives new meaning to the word icon as Mary Lynn navigates the entertainment world against the backdrop of her own quirky idiosyncrasies. She describes what it’s like to make out with Tom Cruise, be a waitress at Denny’s, and find your life’s purpose in 300 indecipherable, not-easy-steps—all in a day’s work. Mary Lynn is honest about her experiences with bisexuality, her college years as a slug, and the bright lights of stardom, ultimately giving the people what they want: an endearing, hilarious look at what it’s like to almost make a name for yourself in Hollywood.

This book investigates the stardom of Lady Gaga within a cultural-sociological framework. Resisting a reductionist perspective of fame as a commodity, Mathieu Deflem offers an empirical examination of the social conditions that informed Lady Gaga’s rise to fame. The book delves into topics such as the marketing of Lady Gaga; the legal issues that have dogged her career; the media; her audience; her activism; issues of sex, gender, and sexuality; and Lady Gaga’s unique artistry. By training a spotlight on this singular pop icon, Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame invites readers to consider the nature of stardom in an age of celebrity.

In this gritty "Memoir Noir," Royal Young reexamines his turbulent childhood and adolescence in New York City of the 1990s. Grappling with issues of sexuality, addiction, and self-definition, he doggedly pursues every possible path to stardom, only to find himself mired in mangled relationships. His story is an unapologetic and ultimately profound, poignant commentary on celebrity culture and love in all its forms. "Royal Young has accomplished a rare feat in his fresh and riveting debut: he manages to recount his fascinating youth and unconventional family with a mixture of humor, scathing honesty & tenderness. Much more than simply a book about a kid who dreams of stardom, Fame Shark is a thoughtful, hilarious and moving love letter to his family and the Lower East Side of New York City." -Kristen Johnston, Emmy Award-winning actress and New York Times bestselling author of Guts "Royal Young stands out as heir apparent to ... literary Jews from early Philip Roth to any-time Jonathan Ames ... Some books you like, some you enjoy, some you feel the need to command the air waves and scream to the masses that they either have to read immediately, or live artistically stunted lives ... " - Jerry Stahl, author of Permanent Midnight "Royal Young's memoir is about a dreamer, set in the post-apocalyptic celebrity world of today, and Young, who grew up in New York-like Holden Caulfield if he wanted to be famous-is looking for adventure and action and becomes entangled in all sorts of romantic and sordid relationships. He points out the perplexing tragedy (and good fortune, I think) of what it means to be talented and rebellious, but not a celebrity." -Lily Koppel, bestselling author of The Astronaut Wives Club and The Red Leather Diary "Courageously confessional ... Royal Young's searing emotions burst through the page. At times I read Fame Shark through tears." - Jaime Lubin, The Huffington Post "Fame Shark is American Psycho meets Call It Sleep. A no-holds -barred saga of the extremes a human being can go to in his or her quest for attention. Young has the precocity and audacity of Shelley and the fearlessness of Philippe Petit." -Francis Levy, author of Erotomania: A Romance and Seven Days in Rio "Shameless, elegant, obscene." -Leopoldine Core, Poet and Center for Fiction Fellow "Fame Shark chronicles the hip and hilarious adventures of a neurotic, broke New York bookworm named Hazak who's trying to escape his name, his history, his shrink parents and his Jewish guilt. Not easy when he's surrounded by his father's penis paintings, rich and famous friends and the ambitious heartbreaking city itself." -Susan Shapiro, author of Speed Shrinking and Five Men Who Broke My Heart "Fast, funny, and sometimes a squirmingly uncomfortable ... Young's unflinching memoir adds much to the dialogue about America's quest for adulation, or at least some shiny, sparkling lights." -Whit Hill, author of Not About Madonna: My Little Pre-Icon Roommate and Other Memoirs