FAME JUNKIES

review by

Amy Nappa

FAME JUNKIES

by Jake Halpern

(Houghton Mifflin)

Reader Appeal: Adults and mature teens

Genre: Non-fiction

It’s a sad truth. Americans are addicted to celebrities. We know who’s getting together and who’s getting divorced, the details of which celebrity has recently shaved her head, and which one has just been admitted to (or released from) a rehab center. We know their children’s names, how their bedrooms are decorated, and where they shop. We can’t get enough info about famous people, and our addiction shows no sign of letting up.

On top of this, we all want to be famous. Simply look at the auditions for American Idol. The most recent season shows tens of thousands of people waiting to audition in each city. Stadiums filled with people, waiting for their chance at five minutes of fame.

In Fame Junkies, Jake Halpern digs into this addiction, trying to find out why we’re both obsessed with celebrities and with the idea of becoming one. He takes the reader along on his interviews and behind-the-scenes research trips, shares heady research in digestible chunks, and raises a number of disturbing questions along the way.

Halpern breaks his research into three sections. First, he spends considerable time with children who aspire to become famous. He hangs out with talent agents, tags along at conventions where children hope to be “discovered,” and closely follows a few specific children and their families, delving into their hopes, the costs they pay (both monetarily and emotionally), and considering the damage done when their dreams are dashed.

Next, Halpern works his way into a group who are personal assistants to celebrities—the ones who pick up their dry cleaning, make sure the kids get taken to and from school, and basically make themselves available for every whim of a famous person. Tasks range from the mundane (laundry) to the insane (arranging illegal drug purchases), and involve long hours (meaning no personal life—in fact, some are discouraged from even owning plants as they’d have to go home to water them). The reward? Being near someone who’s famous.

The third section focuses on those who worship celebrities—literally. These are the people who are obsessed with a specific famous person, often following them from performance to performance, paying outrageous sums for clothing those people once wore (or a glass they once drank from), and who many of us might consider to be stalkers.

Throughout the book, Halpern mixes in his own research with numerous other studies from a variety of sources. He gives insights into why people long to be famous, and why we also long to be associated with those who are already famous. Halpern’s style is relaxed, friendly, and often witty, so the reader is never bored with long reports. Instead, he weaves research findings in with the compelling stories of people he meets along the way—with fascinating results.

One of the most gripping sections in the book deals with a woman who is obsessed with singer Rod Stewart—yet claims to be a Christian. She wonders herself why she loves Rod so much, and would spend outrageous amounts of money on memorabilia, concerts, or any opportunity to sight this star—yet doesn’t display even half this much passion on her relationship with Christ. Halpern presses her on this, and even interviews the woman’s pastor to get his take on it all. Halpern never judges, but does raise many questions that never get answered. This is especially interesting as he makes no claim to faith in Christ himself—he appears to be an observant outsider.

Fame Junkies is a great book for a discussion group or for parents and older teens to read and discuss together, as the findings are both fascinating and disturbing. Why are we so fixated on the famous, but ignore those who are important in our everyday lives? Why are celebrities more important to us than any other profession? Why do we long to be in the spotlight ourselves? And what does celebrity worship (or the desire to be a worshipped celebrity) mean to a Christian?

FAMILYFANS RATING: A+

 --AN