Sticking it to the Man

Paperback, 336 Pages: From civil rights and Black Power to feminism, gay liberation, and anticolonial uprisings, the 1960s and ’70s reshaped society—and pulp and popular fiction followed suit. Sticking It to the Man explores how radical politics and cultural rebellion influenced paperbacks across crime, thrillers, erotica, and more, as marginalized writers broke into genres long dominated by white, male conservatives. At the same time, pulp hacks pumped out reactionary tales reflecting the backlash brewing under Nixon, Thatcher, and Reagan. With 300+ full-color covers, the book features essays, interviews, and reviews by over two dozen writers and scholars. It celebrates authors like Iceberg Slim, Donald Goines, Alice Walker, Patricia Nell Warren, Rita Mae Brown, Chester Himes, and many others—some famous, some ripe for rediscovery. Sticking It to the Man is an essential chronicle of how pulp fiction mirrored and warped the era’s political upheaval across the U.S., U.K., and Australia.