Little Boxes: Twelve Writers on Television

Essays edited by Caroline Casey

August 29, 2017 • 6 x 9 • 208 Pages • 978-1-56689-472-2

Cultural criticism for people who grew up with television as the primary background noise.

What happens when television is part of your cultural DNA? Twelve writers talk about their influences, and they’re more Magnum, P.I. than Marcel Proust. This is cultural criticism from an enthusiast’s point of view—taking sitcoms and dramedies and very special episodes seriously, not because they’re art, but because they matter to us.

Thanks to a 2013 ADA Access Improvement Grant administered by VSA Minnesota for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, this title is also formatted for screen readers which make text accessible to the blind and visually impaired. To purchase this title for use with a screen reader please call (612) 338-0125 or email us at info@coffeehousepress.org.

Reviews

“Little Boxes is a slim and thoughtful collection of essays that dig deeply into TV: why it matters to us, what makes it work, and what makes it fail.” —Vox

“The observations presented in Little Boxes not only hold an intellectual appeal to those interested in the cultural importance of television, but they appeal to anyone who has ever had a favorite television character, who still remembers a particularly poignant Very Special Episode or the first time you saw a version of yourself on screen. Really, this collection will interest anyone who has ever been captivated by a fictional world flickering on the small screen.” —Atticus Review

“The essays in Little Boxes add some appreciable heat to the glow of the pale blue light coming from the foot of the bed, the living room wall mount, the recess above the Frigidaire.” —Sinkhole Magazine

“From Twin Peaks to Daria, Little Boxes is filled to the brim with sharp writing that is at once critical and utterly personal, penned by a diverse list of writers.” —Shakespeare & Punk

“[Little Boxes] is an exemplary collection. No two essays are overly similar, yet they fit together and relate to one another in a way that goes beyond just forming a cohesive book. It's also full of smart and beautiful writing.” —Books & Whatnot