Hedda Hopper's Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism by Jennifer Frost

The intersection of private life, public news and political culture is at the heart of many scholarly histories of popular culture and its practitioners. Jennifer Frost's book Hedda Hopper's Hollywood weaves these themes through the life of the Hollywood actress and gossip columnist, whilst using the letters of Hopper's readers to tell an additional story about the production and reception of conservative attitudes in the United States from the 1930s to the 1960s. In this way, Frost seeks to demonstrate the historical worth of gossip as a unique and credible source on public opinion.