Book excerpt: "Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture" features a unique collection of seminal and path-breaking scholarly articles in cultural studies and gender and sexuality studies. Each article is accompanied by a concise introduction that distills key concepts and critical vocabulary. Popular culture genres surveyed include romance novels, animated films, reality television, pornography, advertising, and beauty magazines. Students are given the theoretical tools to engage popular media as dynamic sites of cultural struggle and knowledge production. Discussion questions at the conclusion of each article promote comprehension of difficult ideas and prepare students for classroom conversations. The textbook serves as a valuable learning tool for courses in media and communication studies, cultural studies, women s and LGBT studies, and composition courses organized thematically around popular culture. Benjamin Bateman received his Ph.D. in English from The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is currently Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities in the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Los Angeles. His areas of expertise include queer studies, popular culture, literary theory, and modern and contemporary British and American fiction. He resides in Pasadena, California.