Interview: Julie Klam, Author of THE STARS IN OUR EYES, Coming 7/18 from Riverhead Books

By: Jun. 29, 2017
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"When I was young I was convinced celebrities could save me," Julie Klam admits in her fifth book, The Stars in Our Eyes, set to hit bookstores on July 18. In it, she discusses the nature of celebrity and why we are so obsessed with them, along with some of her own celebrity encounters.

Her previous books have examined personal relationships with family, friends, and pets. This time she sets her sights on a more ephemeral relationship, that of the public with their beloved celebrities.

We recently asked Julie to answer a few questions about the book and her thoughts on the nature of celebrity culture.

What was the inspiration for this book?

It was a sort of dual inspiration, realizing how much celebrity has permeated our world and also wanting to write about something really fun that wasn't a memoir.

Who are some of the first celebrities you remember being aware of?

I think when I was very little, I was aware of TV stars (The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch) but I didn't really understand the whole celebrity thing until I was a bit older, and had a crush on Mark Hamill and wrote him a letter. He didn't write back even though I'm sure it was the only one he got.

What's one way celebrity culture has changed since your youth?

The internet has changed celebrity enormously-- who is a celebrity now, and also how we interact with them. You can tweet at someone and get a response, this was not possible back in the day! (See above letter to Mark Hamill)

During which era would you most like to have been a really big name celebrity?

I think for fans the 40s were the golden time, but for actual celebrities, the 70s is when they started getting treated better. Way more money and making outrageous demands. That's what I'd like!

What do you hope people will come away from the book with?

I hope they have more of an understanding of how famous people feel, and why we are attracted to them, but mostly I hope they have fun reading it and going along for the ride.

THE STARS IN OUR EYES

THE FAMOUS, THE INFAMOUS, AND WHY WE CARE WAY TOO MUCH ABOUT THEM

By Julie Klam

Coming from Riverhead Books on July 18, 2017.



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