Frank Carlson Library

H.G. Wells' "scientific romance," published first in serial form and then as a book in 1898, attained perhaps its greatest fame in another form, the infamous realistic 1939 radio broadcast "Invasion from Mars" by Orson Welles. It was also made into an early 1950s science fiction adventure movie. Stover (emeritus, Illinois Institute of Technology) describes Wells' story as "a prophecy of startling originality foreseeing the coming of totalitarianism...

Celebrating the persistence of Turtle Power Raise Some Shell critically and cleverly examines the origins, evolution, and impact of the Ninja Turtles phenomenon - from its beginning as a self-published black-and-white comic book in 1984, through its transformation into a worldwide transmedia phenomenon by the middle of the 1990s, and up to the sale of the property to Nickelodeon in 2009 and relaunch of the Turtles with new comics, cartoons, and a...

In defense of Nicolas Cage - the man and the meme - a debate-sparking actor who audiences seem to love and loathe in almost equal amounts Nicolas Cage: leading man or character actor? Action hero or goofball comedian? Internet joke or one of the greatest actors of his generation? Beyond the gif bait and easy punchline, Nicolas Cage continually frustrates easy categorization or understanding. In National Treasure, pop culture writer Lindsay Gibb studies...

A smart, engaging investigation of the show that brought real teens to TV My So-Called Life lasted only 19 episodes from 1994 to 1995, but in that time it earned many devoted viewers, including the showrunners who would usher in the teen TV boom of the late '90s and the new millennium. With its focus on 15-year-old Angela Chase's search for her identity, MSCL's realistic representation of adolescence on TV was groundbreaking; without her there would...

Steven Spielberg’s classic sci-fi story of interplanetary friendship makes a perfect picture book for the whole family.
 
When E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in theaters back in 1982, its bittersweet story enchanted millions and the film surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Now the cinematic blockbuster is transformed into an illustrated storybook, with colorful, adorable...

Gus Van Sant's 1991 indie darling My Own Private Idaho perplexed and provoked, inspiring a new ethos for a new decade: being different was better than being good. Gentlemen of the Shade examines how the film was a coming-of-age for a generation of young people who would embrace the alternative and bring their outsider perspectives to sustainability, technology, gender constructs, and social responsibility. My Own Private Idaho - fragmented and saturated...

Marty McFly test-drives his friend Doc's time machine and accidentally travels 30 years into the past, where he must locate a younger version of Doc and make sure that his parents fall in love.

"What's that strange sound coming from inside the closet? The classic television show is now a sweet and spooky bedtime story! When eight-year-old Buffy Summers hears odd noises coming from her bedroom closet, she asks her best friends to help investigate. It's a sleepover party they'll never forget!"--dust jacket.

A fascinating investigation of a beloved comic strip The internet is home to impassioned debates on just about everything, but there's one thing that's universally beloved: Bill Watterson's comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Until its retirement in 1995 after a ten-year run, the strip won numerous awards and drew tens of millions of readers from all around the world. The story of a boy and his best friend a stuffed tiger was a pitch-perfect distillation...

YIKES! Kevin did it again! The beloved sequel to Home Alone is now an adorable picture book for the whole family.
 
It’s the holidays and Kevin doesn’t want to go on his family vacation to Florida. Amid the chaos and confusion of the airport, he accidentally boards the wrong plane and ends up alone (again!) in New York City. Kevin goes sightseeing, checks into a hotel, and enjoys limo rides,...