Anne Helen Petersen Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

The American writer Anne Helen Petersen has been writing for quite some time, with her many long-form pieces for the BuzzFeed site. Largely understanding celebrity gossip, something which she has a Ph.D. in, she has built a name for herself by taking a more academic approach to the subject matter. This has transferred into a number of books written under her name as well, focusing on culture and the media, specialty women’s place within it.

Early and Personal Life

Growing up in America, the writer Anne Helen Petersen always had a passion for both reading and writing. Interested in literature from an early age, she would harness this passion throughout the years, all whilst nurturing her own particular interests. This love of writing and articulating herself was then transferred into her academic interests, which she would later go on to write about professionally.

Gaining a Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Texas, she has always had a strong interest in the gossip industry. It was this interest that would fuel much of her learning, something which she would keep coming back to as she continued to write and progress. Giving her work an academic foundation, she would build upon this particular passion of hers over the years to come.

Working at BuzzFeed for some time as well, she would gain some insight into writing for a mass-market. This would enable her to build her appeal and harness her skills as a writer, with a passion for the nuances of celebrity culture. It would also allow her to gain a perspective on what it is that readers want and are interested in, along with the tastes of the general public at large.

Still writing to this very day, she has been featured within a number of different publications ever since her first book release. Creating a public profile online, she’s manage to create a persona both online and off, as a reputable source within her particular field. This is something that’s set to continue on into the foreseeable future for some time to come, as her writing career grows from strength-to-strength.

Writing Career

Bringing out her first full solo work in 2014, Anne Helen Petersen made her debut onto the literary scene with a non-fiction book. Called ‘Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema’, it worked at providing an insight into this unique period of time. Clearly understanding her subject matter, she was able to provide an accurate and in-depth portrait of the era, whilst simultaneously making it available to anyone interested.

Mostly publishing academic work, she doesn’t have any fiction as of yet, or any series, largely focusing on stand-alone books. This has allowed her to gain a clear understanding of her specialty, as she seeks to impart her knowledge to her readers in the most articulate manner possible. Following a pattern, they each focus on separate issues within the modern media, taking them apart and putting them into context historically and factually.

Writing for a number of different publications such as BuzzFeed, she is largely known for her long-form analytical pieces. Getting acclaim for her various contributions, she is highly regarded by her many peers and contemporaries alike, receiving both critical and commercial success. With her work being appreciated globally, she has an audience ranging from far and wide, reaching both nationally and internationally.

She has a lot more to come yet, as there’s plenty more books planned on the horizon for Anne Helen Petersen. Writing full-time for a living, she continues to put out work at a regular pace, whether it be articles for a publication, or a new book. With no signs of stopping any time soon, she has a lot more to follow still, as she expands upon her work in the subsequent years to follow.

Scandals of Classic Hollywood: Sex, Deviance, and Drama from the Golden Age of American Cinema

Originally published in 2014 through the Plume publishing label, this was to be the first solo book from Anne Helen Petersen as an author. Previously making a contribution to the book ‘An Experience Definitely Worth Allegedly Having: Travel Stories from the Hairpin’ in 2013, this was the first book fully under her own name. Giving an insight into the history of cinema and how it has helped to shape the public’s discourse on sexuality, it’s another in-depth yet accessible non-fiction work.

Running in the tradition of books such as ‘Hollywood Babylon’, this aims to gain an understanding the industry of Hollywood celebrity culture. Examining its place in the twentieth century right up to current times, it manages to get into why society is so fascinated with celebrity culture and what it really means. Taking a historical look at the subject matter, she breaks it down fully, allowing the reader to gain an insight into what celebrity culture is and why it has come to be. How come society is apparently ‘celebrity obsessed’ and why has a massive industry spawned from uncovering the truth behind the apparent facade of American cinema?

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman

Initially published in 2017, this was first released through the Plume publishing house, marking her second title. Whilst this is also a non-fiction book, it manages to provide a unique insight into women in the media and how they have been portrayed throughout the twentieth century. Although it may be an academic work, it’s available to anyone hoping to learn more on this particular subject matter.

Taking a look at what it means to be a woman in so-called ‘acceptable’ society, Petersen examines the role of the female in celebrity culture. Using a variety of high-profile examples from the media, she breaks down the contemporary understanding of how a ‘polite’ female is supposedly meant to act in the public eye. From being ‘too opinionated’ to ‘too brazen’, she analyses the public perception of certain high-profile female celebrities and how society has come to perceive them. Why do people ‘love to hate’ them, and how have they become so successful regardless of what people think?