Butts: A Backstory

Part deep dive reportage, part personal journey, part cabinet of curiosities, Butts is an entertaining, illuminating, and thoughtful examination of why certain silhouettes come in and out of fashion—and how larger ideas about race, control, liberation, and power affect our most private feelings about ourselves and others.

Butts: A Backstory was named a Best Book of the Year by Time, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, and Inc., and was selected as one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2022.

Butts is also being publishing internationally in Germany, Korea, Japan, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Poland, and Slovakia.

Selected Praise for Butts

“Entertaining and wise.”
— The Washington Post

“Wildly entertaining… the best kind of nonfiction—the kind that forces you to see something ordinary through completely new eyes.”
— Esquire

“A whip-smart history… an essential study of ‘ideas and prejudices’ about the female body.”
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Engaging, personal… don’t be fooled by the cheeky peach emoji.”
— The New York Times Book Review

Selected Media Appearances

Radiolab – "Butt Stuff"
Heather Radke delves into the history of the human posterior, exploring topics from eugenics to fashion.

You're Wrong About – "The Most Normal Girl in Cleveland"
A discussion on pageants, eugenics, and societal standards of beauty.

The Maris Review – Literary Hub
An in-depth interview discussing the cultural significance of butts and body image.

Frank Buckley Interviews – KTLA
Heather Radke discusses her book and the societal implications of the human backside.

RadioWest – KUER
A conversation about our cultural obsession with women's butts and the history behind it.

Forever35 Podcast – "Doin' the Butt with Heather Radke"
A discussion on body image, societal expectations, and the research behind the book.