--- description: Find out why "Butts: A Backstory" by Heather Radke is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'Butts: A Backstory' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9c86d06e324c0b7/698a37ade6e84aa2082af8b9/Butts.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2022 # Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  In her deeply reported and wildly entertaining debut, journalist Heather Radke picks apart why we are all so fascinated by women’s butts. Radke takes readers through an absorbing cultural history that asks how this human body part came to be on the receiving end of so much attention. From dissecting fashion trends to analyzing the public’s obsession with the rear ends of women like [Jennifer Lopez](https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217628/jennifer-lopez/ "undefined") and [Kim Kardashian](https://time.com/6072750/kardashians-blackfishing-appropriation/ "undefined"), Radke points to larger threads about desire, shame, and power. The author weaves in her relationship with her own body to underline how butts became the basis for some of the most vulnerable feelings we have about ourselves. —_Annabel Gutterman_ **Buy Now**: _Butts: A Backstory_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781982135485 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3Tm76NO "undefined") **Contact us at** [letters@time.com](mailto:letters@time.com?subject=%28READER%20FEEDBACK%29%20Stay%20True&body=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2Fcollection-post%2F6228627%2Fstay-true%2F "undefined")**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/"},"headline":"Butts: A Backstory","datePublished":"2022-11-14T12:58:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:11:36.490Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9c86d06e324c0b7/698a37ade6e84aa2082af8b9/Butts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb9c86d06e324c0b7/698a37ade6e84aa2082af8b9/Butts.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/","name":"Butts: A Backstory"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022","description":"Gripping novels, transporting poetry, and timely nonfiction that asked us to look deeper.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/EeIdKgaD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-11-09T14:12:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EeIdKgaD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/","duration":"PT2M54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228446/butts-a-backstory/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```