Books by Alan Nadel

Identifying narratives of gender, race and masculinity that defined Reagan's America, this text provides demonstrations of the synergy between political history and popular culture. Films discussed include ""Home Alone"", ""Beetlejuice"", ""Working Girl"", ""Trading Places"" and ""The Little Mermaid"".

Argues that mandated normativity - as a political agenda and a social ethic - precluded explicit expression of the anxiety produced by America's radically reconfigured postwar population. Alan Nadel explores influential non-fiction books, magazine articles, and public documents in conjunction with films to examine how these films worked through fresh anxieties that emerged during the 1950s.