{"product_id":"across-the-universe-von-natan-last","title":"Across the Universe","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn entertaining and eye-opening look at the history of the crossword, who constructs it, and why it matters as both a reflection of and influence on our culture\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom WORDLE to SPELLING BEE, we live in a time of word game mania. Crosswords, in particular, gained renewed popularity during the Covid-19 lockdown, when games became another kind of refuge. Today, 36 million Americans solve crosswords once a week or more, and nearly 23 million solve them daily. Yet, as longtime \u003ci\u003eNew Yorke\u003c\/i\u003er crossword contributor Natan Last will tell you, the seemingly apolitical puzzle has never been more controversial.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn recent years, popular puzzle makers like\u003ci\u003e The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e—the original and still the gold standard for word games—have been challenged for the way they prioritize certain cultures and perspectives as either the norm (read: white and male) or obscure (everyone else). At the same time, the crossword has never been more democratic. A larger, younger, more tech-savvy, and solidaristic group of people have fallen in love with puzzle solving, ushering in a more inclusive rise to the kinds of people constructing them, challenging the very idea of them and, in fact, what \"normal\" actually is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a critical eye toward its history, Natan\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eLast explores the debates about the future of the crossword and\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003einvestigates those who want the puzzle to transform into a tool of progressivism; ultimately, asking if the crossword can help us reshape the world. \u003ci\u003eAcross the Universe \u003c\/i\u003einterrogates all the ways words—and the games we make using those words—change our culture while bringing us into the worlds of those pushing for the crosswords’ much-needed evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"aw-variant-hidden-subtitle-div\" id=\"aw-variant-subtitle-9780553387704\"\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Autorenwelt Shop","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover - 9780553387704","offer_id":58155794858309,"sku":"9780553387704","price":27.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0940\/0622\/files\/ba891d1b-5a81-48d9-8ae7-9ce1b5cc00a1.jpg?v=1780545796","url":"https:\/\/shop.autorenwelt.de\/en\/products\/across-the-universe-von-natan-last","provider":"Autorenwelt Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}