The Time of my Life

“It’s a fun commentary on an enduring pop culture touchstone.” — Publishers Weekly“Film studies and Dirty Dancing fans will find this monograph useful.” — Library Journal“Many people consider Dirty Dancing an absolute masterpiece, and The Time of My Life’s revisit is the deeper dive into Ardolino’s film that we need. Andrea Warner is a down-to-earth, funny, and competent feminist arbiter of culture. What she has to say about Baby in Dirty Dancing is equally apt as a description of her own critical capacity to nail it in the here and now.” — PopMatters“When Dirty Dancing showed up on cable, I watched it only half-heartedly, but Andrea Warner’s The Time of My Life brilliantly explains how wrong I was. With memoir, music criticism, reception theory, and feminist politics, she foregrounds how vital a movie this was and especially (but not only) how its depiction of abortion and bodily autonomy has today become even more radical.” — Steacy Easton, critic and author of Why Tammy Wynette Matters and Daddy Lessons“Andrea Warner is a gift to pop culture commentary, and The Time of My Life is even more proof. Through her rich and thoughtful analysis, Warner reminds us that Dirty Dancing is more than a love story, it’s an absolute triumph, just like this book.” — Anne T. Donahue, author of Nobody Cares“I had the time of my life reading Andrea’s smart, funny, and insightful take on Dirty Dancing. Meticulously researched, this book expertly explains how Dirty Dancing is more than just a dance film or a love story. Like Baby, this book should never be put in a corner.” — Lisa Whittington-Hill, author of Girls, Interrupted“What Andrea Warner has achieved here is masterful: taking an iconic cultural touchstone and inviting readers into a timeless conversation on how it marked not only her own life, but also our collective hearts. The Time of My Life is heartbreaking and sweet, thoughtful and radical.” — Niko Stratis, culture writer“If you are a fan of Dirty Dancing and its significantly timeless story, this book is for you.” — The British Columbia Review“Andrea Warner opened my eyes to everything that I missed in the film. I can’t wait to watch Dirty Dancing again, but this time…I am taking notes. Thank you, Andrea, for teaching an old dog new tricks.” — Biff Bam Pop!“Warner’s prose reads like a conversation with a friend about all the ways this cultural comfort movie imperfectly captures the human experience in this authentic, frank love letter to Dirty Dancing.” — Shelf Awareness

Andrea Warner lives in Vancouver on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Her books include Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music and Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography. Andrea is also the co-writer and associate producer of the documentary Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On.