Good Bad Boy

Margaret Wappler is the author of the novel Neon Green. She has written about the arts and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Elle, The Believer, The Village Voice, and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles.

“A moving tribute.” —People “A poetic exploration of the intersection between the lives of our pop culture icons and our own. Intelligent and moving, right through the book’s last lines.”—Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow "In my 90210 era, Dylan McKay was always my favorite. Margaret Wappler has written an utterly original love letter about who Luke Perry really was."—Amy Schumer "The book I've been waiting for since 1990. Margaret Wappler expertly weaves her personal story into a study of the heartthrob who captivated us throughout his too-short life, making beautiful art of both."—Maris Kreizman, author of Slaughterhouse 90210  “In her excellent book about Luke Perry, Margaret Wappler takes the onetime teen idol seriously to reflect on early objects of desire, youthful angst, and class dynamics on screen and off.”—Molly Lambert, creator and writer of Heidiworld: The Heidi Fleiss Story and The Secret History of LA  “A Good Bad Boy is both a celebrity biography and a memoir of a generation so tied to popular culture that individual stories and famous lives cannot be extricated from one another. It’s a dishy read, a heartbreaking reflection, and a red-blooded American story of desire. Also, there’s a potbellied pig.”—Guy Branum, author of My Life As a Goddess  “Margaret Wappler doesn’t hide her worship of her subject, but there is nothing soft and simple about her adoration. Wappler puts her own skin in the game, creating a moving, flesh-and-blood, tapestry of Fandom, beyond nostalgia, beyond the flattening tabulations of social media. And yes, the 90’s were the best.”—Daniel Waters, screenwriter of Heathers and Batman Returns “A moving meditation on [Luke Perry's] life and the still-unthinkable strangeness of his absence." —Allison Stewart, Washington Post "A sensitive portrait of a kind and caring man. A gift for Perry and 90210 fans." —Kirkus Reviews “An engaging, well-written biography of a man gone too soon.” —Kathy Sexton, Booklist