{"product_id":"night-mother-a-personal-and-cultural-history-of-the-exorcist-9780814258767","title":"Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History of The Exorcist","description":"Never watch \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist\u003c\/i\u003e, Marlena Williams's mother told her, just as she'd been told by her own mother as a Catholic teen in rural Oregon when the horror classic premiered. And like her mother, Mary, Williams watched it anyway. An inheritance passed from mother to daughter, \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist \u003c\/i\u003elooms large--in popular culture and in Williams's own life, years after Mary's illness and death. In \u003ci\u003eNight Mother, \u003c\/i\u003eWilliams investigates the film not only as a projection of Americans' worst fears in the tumultuous 1970s and a source of enduring tropes around girlhood, faith, and transgression but also as a key to understanding her mother and the world she came from. The essays in \u003ci\u003eNight Mother\u003c\/i\u003e delve beneath the surface of \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist\u003c\/i\u003e to reveal the deeper stories the film tells about faith, family, illness, anger, guilt, desire, and death. Whether tracing the career of its young star, Linda Blair, unpacking its most infamous scenes, exploring its problematic depictions of gender and race, or reflecting on the horror of growing up female in America, Williams deftly blends bold personal narrative with shrewd cultural criticism. \u003ci\u003eNight Mother\u003c\/i\u003e offers fresh insights for both fans of the film and newcomers alike.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarlena Williams is a writer from Portland, Oregon. Her work has been published in the \u003ci\u003eYale Review, Literary Hub, Electric Literature, Catapult, \u003c\/i\u003e and elsewhere. She is a graduate of the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Mad Creek Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50609473519890,"sku":"9780814258767","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8deea03b-6f5d-495d-97d4-2d268537313b.jpg?v=1732329124","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/night-mother-a-personal-and-cultural-history-of-the-exorcist-9780814258767","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}