I Ran a Backstreet Boys Website for Superfans
Twenty years ago, as the group’s Millennium album topped music charts, one writer found belonging in an online community she unwittingly helped create.
Childish Things
From Battleship to Barbie, how culture for young consumers shapes the identities they construct
Finding Comfort in the Gloomy Beauty of The Cure’s Disintegration
How one writer came to love the band’s dark, shimmering masterpiece as a teenager 30 years ago
The Knotty Nostalgia of the Hardy Boys Series
Why one writer still reads the wildly popular books with a mixture of love and disappointment, 60 years after they were revised to remove racist content
Child’s Play and the Very Human Horror of Creepy Dolls
The 1988 film introduced an iconic villain in Chucky—just one of many living toys that have haunted cinema for decades.
Paddington Bear and the Displaced Child
Growing up, one writer saw the beloved character as a mascot for the Latin American immigrant experience. Sixty years after Paddington’s debut book was published, his story still feels relevant.
Growing Up Without Jane the Virgin
On the show, men cry, embrace empathy, and are open of heart. Why one writer wishes he’d been able to watch it as a kid
Living Through Death With Harry Potter
Trauma and tragedy play a role in a lot of children’s literature. But it was J.K. Rowling’s series that helped me cope with almost dying.
The Dark Side of the Comics That Redefined Hinduism
Beloved by generations of Indian children like myself, the illustrated-book series Amar Chitra Katha also reinforced many forms of intolerance.
What a Forgotten Kids' Book Reveals About U.S. Publishing
Released in 1927, the poignant children’s novel Gay Neck was written by an Indian immigrant who became the first person of color to win the Newbery Medal.
Coming of Age With ‘The Legend of Zelda’
The franchise’s evolving complexity, its young protagonists, and its accessibility make it a particularly apt reflection of entering adulthood.