As an observant young girl and a curious tween, Aisha Harris, co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, was deeply immersed in pop culture. Her early fandom led her to a career as a cultural critic whose hot takes, pithy observations and deep dives into cultural shifts are broadly admired.

But Harris says it's not as easy as it looks:

"I always feel like I'm not doing enough, but, you know, in part because it's my job and also because even when I'm watching or reading or consuming any sort of art or media, if it's not for work, I'm still in the back of my mind thinking of, okay, perhaps down the line, this could be something that I touch on years later or months later. ... I'm kind of a hoarder when it comes to both books and notes, and I think that's kind of what helps me stay as up and as absorbed as I can, in addition to all the things that I'm doing for my actual job on a day to day basis."

Harris has captured her adventures in pop culture in her first book, “Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me.”

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Aisha Harris, co-host and reporter for NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, author of “Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me”