CRUSH: Writers Reflect on Love, Longing, and the Lasting Power of Their First Celebrity Crush

by Cathy Alter, Dave Singleton

Overview

A star-studded collection of essays from acclaimed and bestselling authors and celebrities that illuminates the lasting power of desire and longing, and celebrates our initiation into the euphoria, pain, and mystery that is our first celebrity crush.

You never forget your first crush . . .

CRUSH brings together stories of heartbreak, humiliation, and hilarity from a roster of popular luminaries, including James Franco, Carrie Fisher, Stephen King, Roxane Gay, Jodi Picoult, Emily Gould, and Hanna Rosin, who share intimate memories of that first intense taste of love. Here are funny, whimsical, sometimes cringe-worthy tales of falling head over heels for River Phoenix, Mary Tyler Moore, Howard Cosell, Jared Leto, and a host of other pop culture icons.

A few contributors channeled their devotion into obsessively writing embarrassing fan letters. Some taped pics in school lockers. Others decorated their bedroom walls with posters. For tweenaged Karin Tanabe, it was discovering bad boy Andy Garcia—playing the gun-loving mobster Vincent Corleone in The Godfather III. Barbara Graham unsuccessfully staked out an apartment on Park Avenue for a glimpse of her blue-eyed soulmate, Paul Newman. There was only one puppy for six-year-old Jodi Picoult—Donny Osmond—while Jamie Brisick’s pre-teen addiction was Speed Racer.

Swoon-worthy and unforgettable, the essays in CRUSH will leave you laughing, make you cry, and keep you enthralled—just like your first celebrity crush.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062399564
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/07/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.61(d)

About the Author

Cathy Alter’s feature articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Self, McSweeney’s, and SMITH Magazine. Her book, Virgin Territory: Stories from the Road to Womanhood was released in 2004 and her memoir, Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over was released in July 2008. She holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where she is currently a faculty member and nonfiction advisor.

Dave Singleton’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, PBS’s Next Avenue, AARP Media, Yahoo, MSN, the BBC, Washingtonian, Harper’s Bazaar, and OUT. His two previous books are The Mandates and Behind Every Great Woman. His honors include the Media Industry Award for Outstanding Exclusive Coverage, GLAAD Award for Outstanding Multimedia Journalism, and two NLGJA Excellence in Online Journalism awards. He’s a Caring.com columnist and teaches at The Writer’s Center in Washington, D.C. Visit his website www.davesingleton.com and follow him on Twitter @DCDaveSingleton.

Table of Contents

Introduction Cathy Alter Dave Singleton xiii

1 My Idol

Jodi Picoult on Donny Osmond 3

Stephen King on Kim Novak 8

Larry Smith and Smith Magazine Contest Winners: Six-Word Celebrity Crushes 9

Hanna Rosin on Mick Jagger 12

Dave Housley on Kristy McNichol 15

Nicola Yoon on Michael Jackson 21

2 I Can't Fight This Feeling

Andrew McCarthy on Adrienne Barbeau 27

Amin Ahmad on the Liril Soap Girl 30

Shane Harris on Mark Hamill 37

Jason Diamond on Annie Potts 42

3 We Belong Together

Roxane Gay on Almanzo Wilder 49

Michelle Brafman on Harry Chapin 51

Jessica Anya Blau on Tatum O'Neal 56

Janice Shapiro on John Lennon 61

4 I Want To Be You

James Franco on River Phoenix 75

Joanna Rakoff on Melissa Gilbert 79

Kermit Moyer on Tarzan 87

Shulem Deen on Robby Benson 93

Jamie Brisick on Speed Racer 102

5 Finally, We Meet

Barbara Graham on Paul Newman 109

Sam Weisman on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 115

Kimberly Dawn Neumann on Mikhail Baryshnikov 123

Larry Doyle on Mary Tyler Moore 128

Dave Singleton on David Cassidy 130

6 It Had to Be You

David Keplinger on Deborah Harry 147

Anna Breslaw on Adrian Grenier 150

Yesha Callahan on John Travolta 154

Marion Winik on Jerry Garcia and Gregg Allman 162

Jill Kargman on Kenickie 165

7 So Wrong But So Right

Richard McCann on Bette Davis 173

David Shields on Barbara Feldon 186

Tony Tulathimutte on Rydia 187

Karin Tanabe on Vincenzo Corleone 193

8 Over It!

Cathy Alter on Donny Osmond 201

Julia Pierpont on Rivers Cuomo 209

Caroline Kepnes on Brian Austin Green 213

Emily Gould on Jared Leto 228

Epilogue: Carolyn Parkhurst on Celebrity Fantasies and Their Logical Conclusions 232

About the Authors 237

Contributor Biographies 241

Acknowledgments 251

Editorial Reviews

This solid, legitimate anthology that reflects on a compelling and universal phenomenon will put readers back in touch with their younger selves.” — Library Journal

“There’s a lot to enjoy in these...pieces.” — Washington Post

“Entertaining...Some stories are funny...others are inspiring...Reading these short, angst-packed essays about starting at movie screens and listening to transistor radios is like reminiscing with old friends...[A] reminder that first loves are always worth recalling.” — Booklist

“[A] charming collection.” — Entertainment Weekly

“The seemingly lightweight premise of an anthology built around celebrity crushes yields an outstanding selection of poignant and thought-provoking stories.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Charming...The authors do a remarkable job collecting different types of crushes while keeping the reminiscences short and sweet...A book that balances heartbreak and relief, blind love and terror. ” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Entertaining...Some stories are funny...others are inspiring...Reading these short, angst-packed essays about starting at movie screens and listening to transistor radios is like reminiscing with old friends...[A] reminder that first loves are always worth recalling.

Booklist

[A] charming collection.

Entertainment Weekly

There’s a lot to enjoy in these...pieces.

Washington Post

There’s a lot to enjoy in these...pieces.

Washington Post

Entertaining...Some stories are funny...others are inspiring...Reading these short, angst-packed essays about starting at movie screens and listening to transistor radios is like reminiscing with old friends...[A] reminder that first loves are always worth recalling.

Booklist