Stagestruck

In Stagestruck, noted novelist and outspoken critic Sarah Schulman offers an account of her growing awareness of the startling similarities between her novel People in Trouble and the smash Broadway hit Rent. Written with a powerful voice an, Schulman's book is part gossipy narrative, part behind-the-scenes glimpse into the New York theatre culture, and part polemic on how mainstream artists co-opt the work of "marginal" artists to give an air of diversity to their own work. Rising above the details of her own case, Schulman boldly uses her suspicions of copyright infringement as an opportunity to initiate a larger conversation on how AIDS and gay experience are represented in American art and commerce. Stagestruck's message is sure to incite discussion and raise the level of debate about cultural politics in America today.