This nostalgic, fully-illustrated history of boy bands -- written by culture critic and boy band stan Maria Sherman -- is a must-have for diehard fans of the genre and beyond. The music, the fans, the choreography, the clothes, the merch, the hair. Long after Beatlemania came and went, a new, unstoppable era of the boy band emerged. Fueled by good looks and even greater hooks, the pop phenomenon that dominated the '80s, '90s, and 2000s has left a long-lasting mark on culture, and it's time we celebrate it. Written by super fan Maria Sherman for super fans and curious parties alike, Larger than Life is the definitive guide to boy bands, delivered with a mix of serious obsession and tongue-in-cheek humor. Larger the Life begins with a brief history of male vocal groups, touching on The Beatles, the Jackson 5, and Menudo before diving into the building blocks of these beloved acts in "Boy Bands 101." Sherman then moves on the heart of the book, focusing on artists like New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, One Direction, and BTS before ending with an interrogation into the future of boy bands. Included throughout are Tiger Beat-inspired illustrations, capsule histories of the swoon-iest groups, in-depth investigations into one hit wonders, and sidebars dedicated to conspiracy theories, dating, in-fighting, haters, fan fiction, fashion (Justin and Britney in denim, of course) and so much more. Informative, intelligent, funny, and never, ever fan-shaming, Larger Than Life is the first and only text of its kind: the ultimate celebration of boy bands and proof that this once maligned music can never go under-appreciated.


Maria Sherman is a music writer and culture critic currently living in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked as a senior writer at Jezebel, managing editor at Gizmodo Media Group, senior correspondent at Fuse TV, and contributor at BuzzFeed Music. You may have seen her work at NPR and in Billboard, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and many other quality publications. If she were in a boy band, she’d be the bad boy. Also, Harry Styles ruined her life. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri}