Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts
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- Create Date：2022-03-17 00:53:32
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- Author：Evan Ross Katz
- ISBN：0306826682
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Summary
Explore the history and cultural impact of a groundbreaking television show adored by old and new fans alike: Buffy the Vampire Slayer。
Over the course of its seven-year run， Buffy the Vampire Slayer cultivated a loyal fandom and featured a strong， complex female lead， at a time when such a character was a rarity。 Evan Ross Katz explores the show’s cultural relevance through a book that is part oral history， part celebration， and part memoir of a personal fandom that has universal resonance still， decades later。
Katz—with the help of the show’s cast， creators， and crew—reveals that although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender， sexuality， and feminism， it was not free of internal strife， controversy， and shortcomings。 Men—both on screen and off—would taint the show’s reputation as a feminist masterpiece， and changing networks， amongst other factors， would drastically alter the show’s tone。
Katz addresses these issues and more， including interviews with stars Sarah Michelle Gellar， Charisma Carpenter， Emma Caulfield， Amber Benson， James Marsters， Anthony Stewart Head， Seth Green， Marc Blucas， Nicholas Brendon， Danny Strong， Tom Lenk， Bianca Lawson， Julie Benz， Clare Kramer， K。 Todd Freeman， Sharon Ferguson; and writers Douglas Petrie， Jane Espenson， and Drew Z。 Greenberg; as well as conversations with Buffy fanatics and friends of the cast including Stacey Abrams， Cynthia Erivo， Lee Pace， Claire Saffitz， Tavi Gevinson， and Selma Blair。
Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born engages with the very notion of fandom， and the ways a show like Buffy can influence not only how we see the world but how we exist within it。
Over the course of its seven-year run， Buffy the Vampire Slayer cultivated a loyal fandom and featured a strong， complex female lead， at a time when such a character was a rarity。 Evan Ross Katz explores the show’s cultural relevance through a book that is part oral history， part celebration， and part memoir of a personal fandom that has universal resonance still， decades later。
Katz—with the help of the show’s cast， creators， and crew—reveals that although Buffy contributed to important conversations about gender， sexuality， and feminism， it was not free of internal strife， controversy， and shortcomings。 Men—both on screen and off—would taint the show’s reputation as a feminist masterpiece， and changing networks， amongst other factors， would drastically alter the show’s tone。
Katz addresses these issues and more， including interviews with stars Sarah Michelle Gellar， Charisma Carpenter， Emma Caulfield， Amber Benson， James Marsters， Anthony Stewart Head， Seth Green， Marc Blucas， Nicholas Brendon， Danny Strong， Tom Lenk， Bianca Lawson， Julie Benz， Clare Kramer， K。 Todd Freeman， Sharon Ferguson; and writers Douglas Petrie， Jane Espenson， and Drew Z。 Greenberg; as well as conversations with Buffy fanatics and friends of the cast including Stacey Abrams， Cynthia Erivo， Lee Pace， Claire Saffitz， Tavi Gevinson， and Selma Blair。
Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born engages with the very notion of fandom， and the ways a show like Buffy can influence not only how we see the world but how we exist within it。
Reviews
Zach Slayer
，
I went into this book not knowing much about Buffy。 I did play the video game that came out after the success of the show though。 I really enjoyed this book。 This is so much more than just “how Buffy impacted television。” The research completed， the interviews， the layers this book has to really dive into why Buffy was so successful， what we learned from Buffy and why Buffy is still relevant today。 You know the author loves Buffy and wanted to do the show （and SMG） proud。 And I believe the he’s I went into this book not knowing much about Buffy。 I did play the video game that came out after the success of the show though。 I really enjoyed this book。 This is so much more than just “how Buffy impacted television。” The research completed， the interviews， the layers this book has to really dive into why Buffy was so successful， what we learned from Buffy and why Buffy is still relevant today。 You know the author loves Buffy and wanted to do the show （and SMG） proud。 And I believe the he’s achieved this。 Plus you can’t beat his sass and charisma that shines through on every page。 I’d definitely recommend this to people。 Buffy fan or not， this book is for everyone！ Such a fun read。 。。。more
Kara Babcock
，
This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer。 Did you know that I host a Buffy rewatch podcast， Prophecy Girls？ So when this book came up on NetGalley， I jumped at getting an eARC—and I was also fortunate enough that Hachette sent review copies to myself and my podcast co-host for us to promote on our show。 And what an easy book to promote: Evan Ross Katz’s writing is at turns informative， funny， and poignant。 He combines his obvious love for Buffy wi This year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer。 Did you know that I host a Buffy rewatch podcast， Prophecy Girls？ So when this book came up on NetGalley， I jumped at getting an eARC—and I was also fortunate enough that Hachette sent review copies to myself and my podcast co-host for us to promote on our show。 And what an easy book to promote: Evan Ross Katz’s writing is at turns informative， funny， and poignant。 He combines his obvious love for Buffy with the interview access he has as a celebrity columnist to cover the show’s cultural impact and legacy—kind of like what Stephanie and I try to do on our podcast， but in book form！The book loosely follows a chronological structure， discussing first the movie and the genesis of the TV series， before moving swiftly through each season。 There is also a chapter dedicated specifically to Joss Whedon and the allegations of abuse against him from Buffy cast members and others he has worked with since， along with a chapter about the musical episode， one that focuses on Sarah Michelle Gellar and her approach to playing Buffy， etc。 The chapters are all fairly long and very comprehensive。 The book as a whole never really coheres into a single message （beyond， perhaps， “I love Buffy”）。 Yet that doesn’t matter—I just took the book as a series of loosely connected essays， and it works well that way。Katz’s writing is on the extreme end of conversational。 There’s a plethora of parentheticals， lots of personal connections to his own gay love of Buffy， and puns and jokes galore。 This is probably my least favourite aspect of the book， but that might be a result of my personal bias towards more academic analysis anyway。 Which is all to say that， unlike a lot of the “Buffy studies” books out there， this one is not one of those。 It does have some serious thought behind it; it isn’t all light and fluffy。 But the style and tone throughout are that of a gossip columnist， to good effect。Skeptical fans might question whether this book is necessary， whether it’s really just a money grab—and I would say no。 Yes， there’s so much Buffy lore out there on the Internet from two and a half decades of interviews， message board posts， convention chats， etc。 Many of the stories you hear Katz repeat here will be familiar to you， from the famous origin of Buffy as the subverted cheerleader trope to the show’s network move from WB to UPN for its final two seasons。 But there was plenty that was new to me—and I will admit I’m not particularly plugged into the behind-the-scenes lore， but there are also plenty of new interviews that Katz did with the cast and crew。 For example， there’s an uncomfortable and hilarious moment where Katz presses Nicholas Brendon to say one nice thing about David Boreanaz。Similarly， I know many are struggling to re-evaluate Buffy in light of the allegations around Joss Whedon。 Steph and I plan to add our thoughts to this conversation in a bonus episode in the coming months。 I really like how Katz handles it here。 First， of course， he foregrounds what people like Charisma Carpenter and Ray Fisher actually said about Whedon’s behaviour—he prints Carpenter’s statement in full。 Second， he covers multiple perspectives， quoting both fans who are more willing to separate Whedon from the show as well as others who feel like that isn’t possible。 Indeed， perhaps one of the strongest arguments for the necessity of this book is that it clearly lays out what has been happening with Whedon and these allegations over the past five years—unless you’ve been paying close attention， especially on Instagram， you have probably missed some of it。 Buffy fans who want to get caught up on these troubling allegations will benefit from how Katz explains it all here。At the end of the day， it shouldn’t come as a surprise though that this book wishes to firmly enshrine Buffy as one of the all-time great television series—and why shouldn’t it？ I doubt that people who have never watched the series will enjoy Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born。 New viewers， if they don’t mind some spoilers， might find that this book helps them love the series even more as they start their journey。 Nevertheless， the audience here is obviously the legion of Buffy fans hungry for new content twenty-five years later。 That includes me。Informative？ Yes。 Makes you cry at certain points？ Yes—bring tissues。 Thoughtful？ Also yes。 It’s tempting to call this a “love letter to Buffy，” but that description of a book so clichéd these days， and it doesn’t really capture what Katz is doing here。 Yes， he loves Buffy， but he’s really trying to understand why we love Buffy， and why we still love it twenty-five years and an entire wave of feminism later。 If you’re wondering that … well， you’ll have to read the book to find out。Originally posted on Kara。Reviews， where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter。 。。。more
Hermione
，
It's interesting to read a book that's about the fandom as much as the thing it's celebrating。 The author explores some of the things about Buffy that have not aged well， and some of the things that have come out since the show ended， like Joss Whedon not being the great guy we all thought he was。 But it also has some very beautiful things to say about how much of an impact this show had on people， how it brought people together or was a life line。 I think that's really lovely。 Loved all the int It's interesting to read a book that's about the fandom as much as the thing it's celebrating。 The author explores some of the things about Buffy that have not aged well， and some of the things that have come out since the show ended， like Joss Whedon not being the great guy we all thought he was。 But it also has some very beautiful things to say about how much of an impact this show had on people， how it brought people together or was a life line。 I think that's really lovely。 Loved all the interesting stories about how the show came to be and life on set and that kind of thing。 This would be a great book for the Buffy fan who already has everything， because it feels like a fresh take。 I think sometimes the authors tone felt a little gossipy or patronising， but overall， I enjoyed this read。 Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review。 。。。more
Mikaela
，
I requested this book as Buffy was and still remains to this day one of my favourite TV shows。 When I discovered the series in high school， it changed me in so many ways。 It made me feel powerful and comfortable to come out。 However， it is harder to revisit the series since allegations of Joss' behaviour has come to light， knowing what the actresses and actors were going through behind the scenes。 Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born does a great job exploring this dichotomy: how at the time t I requested this book as Buffy was and still remains to this day one of my favourite TV shows。 When I discovered the series in high school， it changed me in so many ways。 It made me feel powerful and comfortable to come out。 However， it is harder to revisit the series since allegations of Joss' behaviour has come to light， knowing what the actresses and actors were going through behind the scenes。 Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born does a great job exploring this dichotomy: how at the time the series at the time was so revolutionary and feminist but looking back in retrospect 25 years later we can see how Joss' influenced storylines and the show。 Katz does a wonderful job in this book in exploring the wonderful legacy of the show and why this show remains a cultural talking point 25 years later， while also exploring its flaws， especially in regards to race and treatment of female characters。 The book is a perfect gift to any Buffy fan。 Katz does a deep dive into every season， giving readers a glimpse of things going-on behind the scenes with interviews with cast and production members throughout the book。 There are also interviews with people the show has influenced， such as the wonderful and talented Stacey Abrams。 It was a very enjoyable read and I would recommend people who love the show read it to celebrate the show。 。。。more
TJ
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The book Buffy fans need in 2022。
Michelle （bookishinthebay）
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Thank you @hachettebooks for my #gifted copy！“She was and is and always will be the ultimate。”Listen。 I have watched and rewatched BtVS more times than I could count。 Currently rewatching with @thesearethebooks and I swear we could start a podcast！ What this show did for us in the 90s was unlike anything any other show had done。 To be a young teenage girl and watching all these badass teenage girls kicking serious ass？ Who else was doing that？！ It’s been 25 years since Buffy first aired。 And yes Thank you @hachettebooks for my #gifted copy！“She was and is and always will be the ultimate。”Listen。 I have watched and rewatched BtVS more times than I could count。 Currently rewatching with @thesearethebooks and I swear we could start a podcast！ What this show did for us in the 90s was unlike anything any other show had done。 To be a young teenage girl and watching all these badass teenage girls kicking serious ass？ Who else was doing that？！ It’s been 25 years since Buffy first aired。 And yes， watching it now， through a critical lens， and after the J*ss W*edon allegations， some things don’t look so great， but - the thing about what Ross has done here， is that he is a super fan， he is one us， but he also understands this and has written a book celebrating all of the women of the show， while also being conscious of what they had to go through to make it。These women are the show。 Buffy， Willow， Tara， Cordelia， Anya。 They are the ones that keep me watching over and over and over and over again。 Because what those actors accomplished is so beyond JW。 Sarah Michelle Gellar IS Buffy - and without her - we’d be stuck with Kristy Swanson and her movie version Buffy which， I think we can all agree， was terrible。 （Also - Kristy Swanson is terrible too。）ANYWAY - if you’re a Scoobie， and you say things like， “raise your hand if you think， like， ew” then obviously you will love this well rounded oral history of all things BUFFSTER， from interviews， to critiques and rolling of the eyes of Dawn。 。。。more
Miya
，
Buffy the vampire slayer was huge when I was growing up， so this book automatically had me。 In all honesty I thought I might be setting my expectations too high， but it was so good！ It's so much more than how Buffy kept many young people captivated and empowered。 Anyone Buffy fan will have all the feels reading this。 Buffy the vampire slayer was huge when I was growing up， so this book automatically had me。 In all honesty I thought I might be setting my expectations too high， but it was so good！ It's so much more than how Buffy kept many young people captivated and empowered。 Anyone Buffy fan will have all the feels reading this。 。。。more
Lauren
，
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is turning twenty-five this year， and I had to read this book as a die-hard fan。 Like everything， the show does not age perfectly， and a former television show is not able to grow with society like a current program would。 The book carefully addresses the show’s diversity problems， LGBTQ+ missteps， and feminism shortcomings。 It also manages to be a celebration of the talent of everyone involved， and the hope/safe space/love this show continues to give its unending fandom Buffy the Vampire Slayer is turning twenty-five this year， and I had to read this book as a die-hard fan。 Like everything， the show does not age perfectly， and a former television show is not able to grow with society like a current program would。 The book carefully addresses the show’s diversity problems， LGBTQ+ missteps， and feminism shortcomings。 It also manages to be a celebration of the talent of everyone involved， and the hope/safe space/love this show continues to give its unending fandom。 I think this book is perfect for Buffy fans， and for non-fans， this might offer a way in， an opportunity to learn more about why fans are still talking about this television show as the twenty-fifth anniversary approaches。 I appreciated the author’s care and handling of the allegations against Buffy creator Joss Whedon and the charges against actor Nicholas Brendan。 I understand why some of the actors chose not to supply interviews， but I think they only did themselves a disservice， as it really leaves them open to rumors。 In any event， I think I came out more a fan of the people behind the scenes who were interviewed， and I am grateful for all the stories shared。 Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette for the ARC！ 。。。more
MookNana
，
This book reads like the kind of discussion you'd have with a group of your best stan-friends over Twizzlers and Pringles at the end of a full day at a con。 And I mean that in the best possible way。A love letter to devoted fans， this is an in-depth reckoning with the show， the associated personalities， and its legacy。 The tone is unabashedly gushing and fannish and the text is conversational， snarky， and lots of fun。 The level of detail and analysis is impressive--this is unapologetically for tr This book reads like the kind of discussion you'd have with a group of your best stan-friends over Twizzlers and Pringles at the end of a full day at a con。 And I mean that in the best possible way。A love letter to devoted fans， this is an in-depth reckoning with the show， the associated personalities， and its legacy。 The tone is unabashedly gushing and fannish and the text is conversational， snarky， and lots of fun。 The level of detail and analysis is impressive--this is unapologetically for true devotees。 It was strange to have 300+ pages of text with no pictures， but this is still an enjoyable read with a lot of insight。 Buffy enthusiasts will be well-served！Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！ 。。。more
Natalie
，
What a nostalgic trip this was！ I enjoyed Buffy in the early 2000's when I was in high school （at the tail end of the series being over）。 I， like many others， feel I grew up with the characters and related to them。 I liked how this book took us through the high and low points of each season。 I enjoyed up-to-date interviews with cast members reflecting upon all aspects from the writing， fashion， relationships with castmates， to the scandal of Joss Whedon。 I appreciated that Evan Ross Katz disclos What a nostalgic trip this was！ I enjoyed Buffy in the early 2000's when I was in high school （at the tail end of the series being over）。 I， like many others， feel I grew up with the characters and related to them。 I liked how this book took us through the high and low points of each season。 I enjoyed up-to-date interviews with cast members reflecting upon all aspects from the writing， fashion， relationships with castmates， to the scandal of Joss Whedon。 I appreciated that Evan Ross Katz disclosed that he reached out to Joss （and others） and allowed them their opportunity to have their quotes included in the book。 I did find the entire book a little long for what it was， and some points seemed redundant as far as letting us know that the show didn't include a multicultural cast and that they did Tara and Willow wrong （punishing LGBTQ characters）。 There were several chapters and points devoted to those things that seemed to say the same sentiment over and over。 However， with this being said， I do think this book is great overview and analyzes some nuances maybe not noticed during a first watch of the entire show。 Definitely a must-read for any Buffy fan！ 。。。more
Wendy W。
，
Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born by Evan Ross Katz is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the popular television show， Buffy the Vampire Slayer。 The book is full of interviews of cast members， crew， and fans of the show。 If you’re a fan of the show， this book is for you。 The author， Evan Ross Katz， is a superfan of the show， and his enthusiasm for the show is evident throughout the book。 He fills it up with quotes， snippets of interviews， and his own thoughts on the show。 He intervie Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born by Evan Ross Katz is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the popular television show， Buffy the Vampire Slayer。 The book is full of interviews of cast members， crew， and fans of the show。 If you’re a fan of the show， this book is for you。 The author， Evan Ross Katz， is a superfan of the show， and his enthusiasm for the show is evident throughout the book。 He fills it up with quotes， snippets of interviews， and his own thoughts on the show。 He interviewed as many of the cast members and crew as he could， although not everyone was willing to be interviewed。 When the author started writing the book， he expected to write a different book than he eventually finished。 The reason for this is because just after he started writing， serious allegations were made against the show’s creator and writer， Joss Whedon。 After that， not only was he writing a book about the show， but he was also trying to uncover more information about Joss Whedon and the toxicity of working on the show。 I found the writing chaotic and difficult to follow at times， but also full of fascinating information and tidbits about the show， the cast， and the crew。 The author is also a fan of the star of the show， Sarah Michelle Geller， and his praise for her work ethic and her graciousness was nice to hear， as I’ve always liked her。 I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Shaun Shepard
，
3。5 StarsI loved the contents of this book and devoured its 350+ pages in 24 hours because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show of all time and I am greedy for any morsel of information about the show or its actors that I wasn't aware of in the past。 And in this way， Evan Ross Katz delivers， providing some behind-the-scenes interviews and Easter eggs that I didn't know existed， which made me desperate to rewatch all seven seasons immediately with my newfound knowledge。From a more objecti 3。5 StarsI loved the contents of this book and devoured its 350+ pages in 24 hours because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show of all time and I am greedy for any morsel of information about the show or its actors that I wasn't aware of in the past。 And in this way， Evan Ross Katz delivers， providing some behind-the-scenes interviews and Easter eggs that I didn't know existed， which made me desperate to rewatch all seven seasons immediately with my newfound knowledge。From a more objective standpoint （e。g。， as if I were someone who were not a Scooby groupie）， I am not sure I loved how this book was written。 It seemed to be， in large part， quotes。 Quotes from interviews the author did conduct， quotes from interviews he did not conduct but took from other sources， and quotes from random people on social media or pop culture that I do not really care about。 I skimmed several chapters。 I did enjoy the appropriately critical lens on Joss， but I did low-key think the author was SMG's stalker。 Slightly weird vibe that I appreciated as a fan， but not always as a reader。 。。。more
Sammi
，
I am one of many who have been touched & shaped by Buffy in some way。 I am glad this book exists and it's about time things got written for posterity's sake。 It's hard for me to fully love books of this style （oral history， interviews， history， statistics etc。） but I do find them really interesting to read through。It was fun to have Evan Katz take my hand and walk me through memory lane。 He outlines each season and then discusses and breaks down some of the themes and pop culture discussions on I am one of many who have been touched & shaped by Buffy in some way。 I am glad this book exists and it's about time things got written for posterity's sake。 It's hard for me to fully love books of this style （oral history， interviews， history， statistics etc。） but I do find them really interesting to read through。It was fun to have Evan Katz take my hand and walk me through memory lane。 He outlines each season and then discusses and breaks down some of the themes and pop culture discussions on Buffy。 I am also thrilled that Katz stated that the musical episode was on the best of the series because I wholeheartedly agree。 This book has a very specific （but still large！） audience which is fans of Buffy - those who have watched， lived and breathed this series。 I had a fun time reading through it and it really warmed my heart。 （fabulous cover choice as well！）* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*Pub Date: 15 Mar 2022 Hachette Books 。。。more
John Amory
，
1。5 stars for giving me an excuse to return to the world of Buffy， but I'm so sad that this wasn't what I wanted it to be or what I feel like I was promised。I wanted and expected a book that was about the cultural impact of Buffy at the time it was airing and since it premiered 25 years ago。 This book is marketed as "part oral history， part celebration， and part memoir of a personal fandom that has universal resonance still， decades later。" But that's。。。 not entirely accurate。This is definitely 1。5 stars for giving me an excuse to return to the world of Buffy， but I'm so sad that this wasn't what I wanted it to be or what I feel like I was promised。I wanted and expected a book that was about the cultural impact of Buffy at the time it was airing and since it premiered 25 years ago。 This book is marketed as "part oral history， part celebration， and part memoir of a personal fandom that has universal resonance still， decades later。" But that's。。。 not entirely accurate。This is definitely part memoir。 Katz frequently inserts himself into the narrative， mostly to the detriment of the material。 It gives the book a rather flippant feeling， like we're reading someone's LiveJournal entries rather than a serious work of non-fiction about the show's cultural relevance and lasting legacy。It's also something of an oral history。 The first few chapters are bizarrely structured summaries of each season with reflections from some of the folks who were there。 It's not structured as an oral history in the way Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Real Housewives Spilling Tea， Throwing Shade， and Sharing Secrets and other oral histories are， but rather it includes interview quotes and things of that nature peppered throughout the seasons' plot points。What it's not， really， is part celebration。 So much of this book is bogged down in the Joss Whedon of it all。 You cannot discuss Buffy without discussing the man who created her， and the man who created her is not exactly the most popular person in the world right now。 So much of the rest of this book ends up being about searching for clues to Joss's abusive behavior in past interviews （he is not interviewed specifically for this book） or asking cast members how they feel about the reckoning Whedon is going through。 It turns from a celebration of the show's legacy to a criticism of it through a 2020s lens。 There are entire chapters detailing the show's lack of racial diversity and Joss's skewed representation of feminism and the treatment of its LGBTQ characters。 There's much lamenting done about the show not being progressive enough。But。。。 it was。 This was the 90s and very early 00s。 As Danny Strong points out several times， Buffy having what little racial diversity it did was just as much （if not more） as other shows on the air。 While we can look back on the show as portraying "white feminism，" that was more than other shows were doing。 It was still breaking new ground。 The reason we can criticize these things in 2022 is because Buffy put them on TV when it did。Between this and the cast/crew interviews about the workplace being toxic， without very many details being revealed （beyond Charisma Carpenter's well-known allegations）， it doesn't feel like this book celebrates anything。 The critiques and comments brought up here about racial bias and "burying your gays" and the joy Whedon got from killing off characters when he didn't like the actors are valid and should be explored。 But for a book that is claiming to be "part celebration，" Katz seems to come down really hard on the show。 Even just reading the first chapters summarizing each season， he mentions how much he dislikes seasons four and six。 There is quite a bit of space given to the show's narrative shortcomings。 I don't really know how to fully explain myself， but more of this book seemed to be designed to criticize （and not always in a constructive way） the show and not to "celebrate" it， as the description promises。 Of course we can （and should！） look at the things we love through a critical lens， but that's not what I was lead to believe this book was。It also mostly fails on an oral history level because many， many major players are not interviewed， including the one who gets the most page space: Whedon， himself。 Others who did not participate: Alyson Hannigan， David Boreanaz， Michelle Trachtenberg， Eliza Dushku， Marti Noxon， any directors， and more。I don't know。。。 everything that's here is worth exploring and holding space for。 But I feel like I was sold one thing and given another。 Add that feeling to the sloppy writing and structure， and I was severely underwhelmed。 Honestly， this felt like an old Buffy fansite in book form at times， when I wanted something more intellectual （why was there nothing about how Buffy is taught in colleges？）， or at the very least， if Katz was going down the route of asking actors' feelings on things， something more tell-all and gossipy。 This just didn't end up being for me， which is fine: not all Buffy stans are created equal。 （I， for one， love season four。 Sorry， not sorry。）（My apologies if this review makes little-to-no sense。 I had a lot of feelings， and I didn't edit for clarity or content。 I just went with my gut。） 。。。more
nicole
，
Thank you to Hachette Books for the ARC， for though I did not love the book， I did love my deep dive back into my Buffy days。Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed my life。 I know， cliche， since I'm about to complain about the author who feels the same way。 I was 13 years old when I saw an advertisement for the premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the back of Seventeen magazine and was hooked from the very first airdate。 I made my first screenname WillowGrl， I RPGed in AOL chat rooms through all ho Thank you to Hachette Books for the ARC， for though I did not love the book， I did love my deep dive back into my Buffy days。Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed my life。 I know， cliche， since I'm about to complain about the author who feels the same way。 I was 13 years old when I saw an advertisement for the premiere of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the back of Seventeen magazine and was hooked from the very first airdate。 I made my first screenname WillowGrl， I RPGed in AOL chat rooms through all hours of the night， I wrote and read fanfiction， I never missed an episode for the first few seasons。 I dressed as Buffy for Halloween my freshman year -- specifically， her outfit in Prophecy Girl， or my closest approximation given my largely Dots/Mandees centric closet -- long before I knew there was cosplay。 And then I went to college， and though I finished the series， that was that。 So， I came to this book with a lot of excitement even though I was not familiar with the author's presence on Twitter。 I just thought a journalist had come up with an incredible idea that had never occurred to me - that there could be a way to monetize your love for a series。 Could my jealousy have impaired my decision on the book a tad？ Maybe。Honestly， my biggest beef with this is that Katz needs a really strong editor。 He's at his best during the second half， focusing on the allegations laid against Whedon and the show's depiction of race， feminism， and sexual orientation。 I really appreciated the discussion he starts about the responsibilities of a fan and fandom as a series ages or new information from what the set was truly like are released。 But it took quite a bit to get there。 The first half is dedicated to a play by play synopsis of each season and it's a very clunky start。 He's overly reliant on big blocks of dialogue from the show。 He also inserts his own presence on Twitter in ways that don't tell the story he is trying to tell， but instead tell the story of his own persona。 I wasn't crazy about the way that he included such chunks of text from his interviews。 While that worked for those conducted with people who worked on the show， his choice of including celebrities （two of whom didn't even watch the show！ at all！） outside of the sphere felt a little showboaty - look who I was able to get an interview with through Instagram DM。 Don't worry， I felt the same way about the couple of pages where he just included randos' perspectives too。But that very last part was because of how personal Buffy was to me， and honestly， at the end of it all， I do appreciate how personal it was for Katz too。 I loved being reminded that Buffy was real and existed and had this huge long-lasting impact even if I still prefer to think of it as something that belonged to me alone。 I was fascinated to discover there were BtVS podcasts and am adoring Buffering the Vampire Slayer。 I spent my 48 hours of sinus infection dizziness burning through the first season， amazed at how much of the dialogue I'd retained and how awful Xander is in hindsight， and reading this made me want to seek out other Buffy books that maybe strike the chord I'm longing to hear。 。。。more
Collie
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Oh， very excited to have won a copy of this via GoodReads giveaways。 I used to schedule my week around watching Buffy。 I'd get together with friends to watch it together。 Oh， very excited to have won a copy of this via GoodReads giveaways。 I used to schedule my week around watching Buffy。 I'd get together with friends to watch it together。 。。。more
Erica
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I was so excited for this book as I am a Buffy fan， and I can't believe it's the 25th anniversary of the show。 In this book Katz set out a very ambitious outline of all things Buffy。 Because of that， I think that the pacing was a bit off。 The first half of the book was a season by season recap， which felt redundant。 While it was fun looking back on the series， I think if you were coming to a book like this you've probably already seen the series a couple times。 I think it could have been more in I was so excited for this book as I am a Buffy fan， and I can't believe it's the 25th anniversary of the show。 In this book Katz set out a very ambitious outline of all things Buffy。 Because of that， I think that the pacing was a bit off。 The first half of the book was a season by season recap， which felt redundant。 While it was fun looking back on the series， I think if you were coming to a book like this you've probably already seen the series a couple times。 I think it could have been more interesting if he highlighted either the top rated episodes or universal fan favorites， instead of doing a deep dive into each season。 The second half of the book was looking at Buffy's legacy: the good and the bad。 I think this is where the book really shines。 Katz seems like a fantastic interviewer and the actors seem to open up to him。 That said towards the end of the book there were a couple chapters that just felt oddly short compared to all the rest。 They started to talk about some pretty important topics but seemed to finish before they really got going。 With all that's come out about Joss's legacy it's nice to see that Buffy can be viewed critically and with love at the same time。 。。。more
Jill Elizabeth
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This is an interesting behind-the-scenes look that combined a season-by-season analysis and plot summary with interviews from myriad "experts" ranging from cast members to staff to influencers and pop culture experts。。。 I really enjoyed both elements of the book。 I think I found the first half， focusing on the show itself， more engaging。 The second half - which took a sociological-impact look at the show and the actions of its creator - was also interesting， but at times felt a little repetitive This is an interesting behind-the-scenes look that combined a season-by-season analysis and plot summary with interviews from myriad "experts" ranging from cast members to staff to influencers and pop culture experts。。。 I really enjoyed both elements of the book。 I think I found the first half， focusing on the show itself， more engaging。 The second half - which took a sociological-impact look at the show and the actions of its creator - was also interesting， but at times felt a little repetitive and more dishy in a tabloid-tell-all sense then I usually tend to read。 Still， if you're a fan of the show as I definitely am， it was a cool peek behind the curtain and a great reminder of why the show has had the staying power it has had with fans new and old alike。。。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more
Jenna Renners
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Into Every Generation “You can thank Dolly Parton for Buffy the Vampire Slayer。” One of the best and most in-depth books I’ve read。 This is a cant miss for all fans and anyone looking to get an insight into what really went into creating a beloved show in the 90’s/00’s and how it’s progressed and stood strong all these years later。 It’s also not just a love letter to the fans and the show but an at times extremely needed but difficult examination into the flaws and issues within the show。 Evan d Into Every Generation “You can thank Dolly Parton for Buffy the Vampire Slayer。” One of the best and most in-depth books I’ve read。 This is a cant miss for all fans and anyone looking to get an insight into what really went into creating a beloved show in the 90’s/00’s and how it’s progressed and stood strong all these years later。 It’s also not just a love letter to the fans and the show but an at times extremely needed but difficult examination into the flaws and issues within the show。 Evan does a great job at showing what this show means to its fans。 How kindly the cast cared for its fans and knew how important it was to so many people （Stacey Abrams and Jayden Smith are two inspiring fans， and my personal favorite chef Claire Saffitz。） As a fan of the show myself， I’ve read a lot of BTVS books and this one really takes the cake！ The first half is more synopsis and a rundown of how the show got made while the second half is all about why this show has had such a cultural impact and there’s no part that Evan skips out on。 From everything from LGTBQ+， to issues of race and a lack of diversity， to the controversy that to this day still surrounds the shows creator， Joss Whedon， Evan tackles all of this with a passion and grace that never dulls。 Will definitely be purchasing a copy for my collection when it comes out！ Thank you to Netgalley & Hatchettebooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Look for Into Every Generation A Slayer is Born: How Buddy Staked Our Hearts out March 15， 2022 。。。more
Sara
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I love love love Buffy， so I was super excited when I received an ARC of Katz' book。 I went into it expecting it to be more of an analysis of the show， so I was kind of disappointed by the heavy summarizing in the first few chapters。 I also had trouble with the author's writing style （and his constant repetition of the phrase "more on that later"）。 I think touching on less topics， but delving deeper into them， would have helped make those chapters feel less superficial。 That said， I think the bo I love love love Buffy， so I was super excited when I received an ARC of Katz' book。 I went into it expecting it to be more of an analysis of the show， so I was kind of disappointed by the heavy summarizing in the first few chapters。 I also had trouble with the author's writing style （and his constant repetition of the phrase "more on that later"）。 I think touching on less topics， but delving deeper into them， would have helped make those chapters feel less superficial。 That said， I think the book really picked up in the second half。 The writing felt stronger and more focused， and the author did a good job of holding space for both the legacy of the show and Whedon's abusive behaviour。 The interviews with the cast and crew felt necessary and important， as opposed to the ones that opened the book， which I honestly did not fully understand the purpose of。 All in all though， this is a thoroughly researched book， with Katz' deep love for the show shining throughout — and I'm right there with him。 *This ARC was provided to me via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion* 。。。more
Darcia Helle
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Every once in a while， a TV show comes along that pulls us into its vortex and becomes a cultural phenomenon。 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one such show。Sarah Michelle Gellar became so wrapped up in the part of Buffy that it’s difficult to separate the two。 The show was ahead of its time in presenting empowered females and gay relationships， and it managed to straddle that line between a show teenagers relate to and adults loved。With Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born， Evan Ross Katz gives us Every once in a while， a TV show comes along that pulls us into its vortex and becomes a cultural phenomenon。 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one such show。Sarah Michelle Gellar became so wrapped up in the part of Buffy that it’s difficult to separate the two。 The show was ahead of its time in presenting empowered females and gay relationships， and it managed to straddle that line between a show teenagers relate to and adults loved。With Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born， Evan Ross Katz gives us both an inside view and a cultural perspective of all things Buffy。The first half of the book gives a briefing of each season， including highlights and interviews with cast members。 The second half gives us a deep-dive into Joss Whedon’s emotional abuse on set， particularly in regards to the females。 Coming from a show and a man claiming to empower women， it’s especially disturbing to learn how he treated them。Fascinating book for all Buffy fans。*I received an ARC from Hachette Books。* 。。。more
Kaye
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered 25 years ago and Evan Ross Katz takes time to celebrate and evaluate this culturally iconic show。 Full disclosure， I'm a huge fan of the show and gladly jumped at the change to read this ARC。 The first half of the book covers each of the seasons。 It isn't an episode guide but talks about pivotal shows or the seasons Big Bad。 He talks about the writing， clothing， Buffy speak， long hours， network pushback， feminism and the impact of showing a queer couple in a re Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered 25 years ago and Evan Ross Katz takes time to celebrate and evaluate this culturally iconic show。 Full disclosure， I'm a huge fan of the show and gladly jumped at the change to read this ARC。 The first half of the book covers each of the seasons。 It isn't an episode guide but talks about pivotal shows or the seasons Big Bad。 He talks about the writing， clothing， Buffy speak， long hours， network pushback， feminism and the impact of showing a queer couple in a relationship。I really appreciate that he interviews several of the stars including Sarah Michelle Gellar， Amber Benson， Charisma Carpenter， Seth Green， Nicholas Brendan， James Marsters and Anthony Stewart Head。 （I recently read a book about a different series and it was only a compilation of DVD commentary and published interviews。） Katz was able to get their comments on so many aspects of the show and I love that he allows them to clarify and give their final thoughts。 Clearly Katz is a huge fan and not wanting to push his own narrative。 Katz talks about the Buffy fandom and the stars share their obvious pride in being part of something so huge even though they've gone on to other work。Probably the biggest surprise is that the book is in the works when the news breaks about the abusiveness of Joss Whedon。 He allows those he interviewed to add their thoughts or took their quotes they put out either in statements or on instagram。 He does try and show both sides but obviously Whedon didn't participate in the book process。 I recommend this for fans of the show and I'm glad to have read it。 It makes me want to break out my DVD's to binge watch BTVS and fangirl for SMG and the Scooby gang。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Beth
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Oh man did I LOVE this show。 Truth be told， I still love this show。 This was a great quick read and really gives background for someone who never got into the show。 A perfect guilty pleasure read。#netgalleyarc
Nev
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably my favorite TV show of all time， so I was really excited to read this book all about it。 Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born covers a lot of different areas。 It details the history of the show， behind the scenes stories， season by season breakdowns， and commentary on different themes and aspects of the show。 I think that Evan Ross Katz did a great job of celebrating Buffy while also writing critically about parts of the show that didn’t age well or were ne Buffy the Vampire Slayer is probably my favorite TV show of all time， so I was really excited to read this book all about it。 Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born covers a lot of different areas。 It details the history of the show， behind the scenes stories， season by season breakdowns， and commentary on different themes and aspects of the show。 I think that Evan Ross Katz did a great job of celebrating Buffy while also writing critically about parts of the show that didn’t age well or were never great to begin with。 He didn’t shy away from the complicated legacy of Joss Whedon and the feelings of the actors involved with the show。 Relying a lot on original interviews he did instead of archives added a lot to the book。 For me， the book was stronger in the second half where each chapter was focused on a certain topic （like feminism， sexuality， wardrobe， or race） instead of the beginning where it was going through season by season。 The chapters about each season felt a bit all over the place or like they were trying to do too much at once。 They were covering the plot of that season， talking about behind the scenes stories， analyzing themes， fan response， and other commentary。 Because those chapters went in so many directions it felt like each bit only got to scratch the surface。 Overall I think this is a great book for Buffy fans。 Because Evan was able to do so many interviews with writers， actors， and other people associated with the show there’s a lot of new information to learn。 Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Angela
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Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchett Books for my DRC in exchange for my honest review。I should preface this with the little tidbit that I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I've always associated the show with being one of the pieces of media that helped me through my parents' divorce when I was a kid。 Basically， I have a lot of love for this show。Okay， so with that out of the way， let's talk about how awesome and lovely this book is。 Evan Ross Katz is known for being a writer and edi Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchett Books for my DRC in exchange for my honest review。I should preface this with the little tidbit that I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I've always associated the show with being one of the pieces of media that helped me through my parents' divorce when I was a kid。 Basically， I have a lot of love for this show。Okay， so with that out of the way， let's talk about how awesome and lovely this book is。 Evan Ross Katz is known for being a writer and editor whose work has been seen in various publications and if you follow him on Instagram， you'll also know that he has wondrous taste as evident by his decision to write this loving book about the iconic 90's show， "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" （BTVS）。 This novel is a partial celebration， a partial examination， and partial memoir about BTVS involving multiple cast members and plenty of fans。 And before you ask， Katz does get into the Whedon aspect of everything and he does so tactfully and as unbiasedly as he's able to。 As someone who has come back to BTVS multiple times in the past two decades， I thought Katz did a brilliant job of going into all of the reasons why BTVS is so iconic and long-standing despite it being a nearly 25 year old show （this book will be coming out on the show's 25th anniversary btw）。 He goes into the fashion， the language， the storytelling， and the characters and honestly， it has deepened my love for the show。 Katz has interviews with Sarah Michelle Gellar， Amber Benson， Charisma Carpenter， Seth Green， NIcholas Brendan， James Marsters， and Anthony Stewart-Head to name a few。 I think Katz did such a brilliant job with expressing both the positive and negative aspects of BTVS。 For example， he goes into the issues with Whedon which takes into account the Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot allegations， Kai Cole's editorial， as well as Carpenter's allegations。 The discussion about Joss Whedon's particular brand of abuse and "feminism" is peppered throughout the book naturally and prepares you， if you were unaware， for the discussion which I think is a good idea especially for fans who prefer to ignore all of that stuff。 It honestly hurt a childish side of me to hear about how abusive the set was for the actresses and reading about the kinds of shit Whedon did just because he could。 At the same time， I appreciate that Katz discussed both sides of the spectrum regarding Whedon; could we still appreciate this show despite it being ingrained with who Whedon is？ Is BTVS still worth loving with the knowledge of how the set was？ Questions like that are discussed and I honestly appreciated it a lot because they were questions I was grappling with when the things about Whedon were coming out。 To tone the somber mood down。。。there's a good healthy does of fanboying and fangirling going on in this book。 I loved being able to read the thoughts and feelings of some of the BTVS cast especially in regards to the fans that were/are so heavily affected by the show。 It made me feel emotional in a way that involved a little bit of crying。 All in all， I think this is such a lovingly researched and written book about a piece of media that I fully believe will still be influential in another decade。 Evan Ross Katz does such a brilliant job of illustrating the iconicness of the show， of Sarah Michelle Gellar， and the long-standing power of a good leather jacket。 I highly recommend this book， especially if you love BTVS in any capacity。 。。。more
Meaghan Babin
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I really nice informative read on Buffy the Vampire Slayer！ As someone that grew up with Buffy， I found this read wonderfully nostalgic。
Jane
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As a fan of the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer， I was very excited to read this， but also apprehensive due to everything surrounding Joss Whedon。 I was glad to see that Evan Ross Katz didn't gloss over the darkness surrounding this beloved show and actually delved deeply into the thoughts and feelings of fans， cast， and crew in regards to Joss's involvement in making the shows a negative experience for many who worked on them。 I was really impressed with the amount of interviews conducted for thi As a fan of the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer， I was very excited to read this， but also apprehensive due to everything surrounding Joss Whedon。 I was glad to see that Evan Ross Katz didn't gloss over the darkness surrounding this beloved show and actually delved deeply into the thoughts and feelings of fans， cast， and crew in regards to Joss's involvement in making the shows a negative experience for many who worked on them。 I was really impressed with the amount of interviews conducted for this book。 So many cast and crew members agreed to participate， including Sarah Michelle Gellar。 The first half of the book goes chronologically season by season， for the duration of the show's seven season run。 Evan writes about how different creative choices were received by fans， and by those who worked on the show。 The second half of the book has chapters about why the show has been so important to LGBTQIA+ fans， the lack of racial diversity and poor handling of matters regarding race， as well as a deeper dive into the issues surrounding Joss's mistreatment of those involved in his projects。 There are chapters about the show's music， the slang， the costumes - literally no part of this book isn't interesting。The interviews conducted by Evan Ross Katz were so impressive to me。 It seemed the cast and crew who were interviewed had a high level of trust with Evan because they really didn't hold back。 I would say this is a must read for fans of the series， who probably won't be surprised by how dark things get。 For people who haven't ever watched Buffy but would like to， I'd recommend watching the show first if you don't want the whole series spoiled。 If you don't ever plan to watch the show but are curious about its impact on pop culture， I also recommend reading this。 Basically I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend this to。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Steph
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I absolutely loved this book！！ I don’t think I’ve ever devoured a non fiction book as fast as I did this one， finishing it within 24 hours。 The love that Evan has for the show shines through and makes it fun to read， but he also does a great job highlighting some areas Buffy missed the mark or fell short。 His writing style is conversational， approachable and so fun to read。 I felt like I was having a fun chat with a Buffy loving friend。The first half of the book focuses on how the show came abou I absolutely loved this book！！ I don’t think I’ve ever devoured a non fiction book as fast as I did this one， finishing it within 24 hours。 The love that Evan has for the show shines through and makes it fun to read， but he also does a great job highlighting some areas Buffy missed the mark or fell short。 His writing style is conversational， approachable and so fun to read。 I felt like I was having a fun chat with a Buffy loving friend。The first half of the book focuses on how the show came about as well as a deep dive into each of the 7 seasons。 Which I mean spoiler alert if you haven’t watched all of the seasons but you should definitely rectify that anyway because the show is great except the last two seasons which were just good with a few great episodes… but I digress。 Hearing about the highs and lows from the cast’s POV as well as super fans such as Evan was so fun and definitely made me ready for a rewatch。 The second half of the book tackles everything else including the cultural impact of the show， the star Sarah Michelle Gellar not getting enough credit （preach！） to areas where the show did not live up to its potential （diversity） and of course the Joss Whedon controversy。 I was happy that not only was that subject fully addressed， but that the discussion was also had around how that may or may not impact the fandom’s love of the show。 Hearing about the demanding schedule and the behind the scenes things the actors were having to deal with makes me appreciate how well they performed even more。 This was such a fantastic analysis and deep dive of a show I love。 I know there will be so many people who are going to love this as much as I did。 Thank you to @HachetteBooks @HachetteGo and @EvanRossKatz for the advanced copy。 Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts will be out March 15， 2022。 Don’t worry， I’ll be sure to remind you closer to the date too！ 。。。more
Trish
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