Amusing
Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
by Neil Postman
Reviews
Synopsis
A brilliant powerful and important book....
This is a brutal indictment Postman has laid down and, so far as I can
see, an irrefutable one. - Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World.
Synopsis
Postman takes an enlightening look at the
long-term effects of mass media - how it transforms our world, and the
ways in which the media onslaught can be challenged.
Customer Comments
ljbiohazard@yahoo.com from
U.S., September 4, 1999
I don't agree with every idea, it makes
many valid points.
This book is not the easiest to read. Its
ideas are fascinating, but the vocabulary can be a bit challenging at times.
This book was required reading for an English class, and the discussions
that stemmed from it were incredible. Postman address everything from politics
to religion to education. This is a very interesting book, and it really
makes you think about some of the things you do every single day.
DocFungus1@Aol.Com from
Brooklyn, New York, June 19, 1999
Eye Opening
Amusing ourselves to death should be required
reading for every college student. It is a stimulating, eye opening book
with tremendous insight of where we are and where we are going. What he
is suggesting is taking place under our very noses and only a handful are
noticing. This book is a wake up call, that should be addressed. Remember,
George Orwell's 1984.
A reader from Australia,
May 16, 1999
Postman hates television
Postman is anti-television. Its not necessarily
a bad thing - Just be aware of that when you read the book. The only problem
with his bias is that it clouds his reasoning sometimes, resulting in a
"witch hunt" style mentality. I still recommend the book, but there are
better critiques.
Jason3an@aol.com from Burlington,
CT, December 6, 1998
Technology Changing America
Great book, certainly sparked many a discussion
at the dinner table. Many of us don't realize how the media and television
influence our lives. We have gone from a print society to a television
society. Most of us watch television, but what do we really get out of
it? If you ask me, we develop biases based on what we see, and if what
we see and hear is flawed, then so is our thinking. I know I watch television
a lot differently since reading this book.
J. Nicosia (Jason3an@aol.com)
from Burlington, CT, December 2, 1998
Watch The Media Bias
Overall an excellent book. The point is
well presented. The media does have influence over our lives. Most of us
get our news from the media, we hang on their every word. Their word can
be very biased. Television has changed they way we think, feel, and act.
We have changed from a society that counted on the printed word to a society
that relies on information from the television. As a result of reading
this book, I am now more in tune with media bias. Watcher Beware!
charles.stepp@telops.gte.com
from Tampa, Florida, August 29, 1998
A warning to this race of Lemmings.
Unfortunately, the overwhelming obviousness
of the dire truths in this book make it hard for our common American video
addicts to swallow, or even understand. Those who can and do read it probably
least need it and those who need it most CAN'T read it. Not that they can't
read; it's just that they are like so many smokers - "I can quit (quit
watching television, start thinking, reading and living again) any time
I want to; I just don't want to." The best I have been able to do is to
unplug the electronic drug in MY house.
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