Surprise Friends and Family with Pop Culture Knowledge
Pros:
celebrity dish, human interest... the works!
Cons:
can be pricey, some celebrity stuff is annoying, Leah Rozen reviews
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Author's Review
Okay, I'll admit it. I was an English Literature major. I've read the classics and the first year of Oprah's book club. I read Shakespeare and Flaubert for fun. That said, I have to admit that People is my guilty secret.
It all started with the grocery store. I'd be shopping and I'd see an issue on some big mega-watt celebrity event and I'd buy a copy to see what everyone wore (I put Joan and Melissa Rivers to shame with my opinions of what celebrities wear). Then, there would be a cover on a celebrity I really admire, and before I knew it, I was buying it about every other week.
So my husband got me a subscription for my birthday. Oh, the glory. Every Friday or Saturday (Monday or Tuesday if Jennifer Lopez is on the cover... I think my mailman has a thing for her) I run to the mailbox for my latest issue, which I devour in a day, reading it cover to cover, from the letters in the front to celebrity quotes in the back.
I like people not so much for the celebrity dish (and there is plenty of it), but for the human interest stories. I like reading short little articles (I'm a mom of an 11-month-old... how much time do I have?) about people who sold their companies and split the profits with their employees. About 9-year-old kids who spend their free time collecting coats and sleeping bags for the homeless. About women with special needs kids who open a daycare JUST for other special needs kids.
More than just a rag sheet for Hollywood (which, I have to admit at times it is), People is my little slice of good news in the world. I often skip watching the nightly news or reading the paper, but I never skip my People. Odds are there is at least one person featured each week who is enough to restore my faith in humanity for seven more days.
I should point out, however, that my husband often uses my encyclopedic celebrity knowledge gleaned from People to figure out who people are when he sees them on the news. I think for that reason alone he'll renew my subscription. :)
The only thing I honestly dislike about this magazine every time is Leah Rozen's reviews. Honestly, if she hates something, run right out and see it, because she likes to do NOTHING but complain. Someone must have told her that the only good reviews are negative ones. I wish they would fire her.
Tip: Subscribe! You'll save a lot of money!
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