New Kings of the World

A cultural shift is under way outside the West, and Fatima Bhutto reports on it. Bollywood films from India, Turkish television dramas known as dizi, and South Korean pop music now reach audiences worldwide, and they compete directly with Hollywood, McDonald's and blue jeans.

Bhutto argues that these industries pair modernity, which is not always secular, with traditional values, and that they set it in urban surroundings. The result is a pop culture that is easy to take in, especially for the many millions who are arriving late to the modern world and still working out its demands.

The book is non-fiction built on profiles and reporting. Bhutto profiles Shah Rukh Khan, who by many measures is the most popular movie star in the world. She goes behind the scenes of Magnificent Century, Turkey's biggest TV show, which has drawn upwards of 200 million viewers in 43 countries.

She also travels to South Korea to trace how K-Pop began the wave, and how "Gangnam Style" became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views. It suits readers curious about who now shapes mass entertainment, and why.