Amusing Ourselves to Death : Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Postman, Neil; Postman, Andrew (INT)

ISBN 10: 014303653X / ISBN 13: 9780143036531

Published by Penguin Books, 2005

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 3524744-n

Bibliographic Details

Title: Amusing Ourselves to Death : Public ...

Publisher: Penguin Books

Publication Date: 2005

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis:

Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman’s groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining controlof our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.

Review:

"I can't think of a more prophetic, more thoughtful, more necessary - and yes, more entertaining - book about media culture." -Victor Navasky, National Book Award-winning author of The Art of Controversy

"All I can say about Neil Postman's brilliant Amusing Ourselves to Death is: Guilty As Charged." -Matt Groening, Creator of The Simpsons

"As a fervent evangelist of the age of Hollywood, I publicly opposed Neil Postman's dark picture of our media-saturated future. But time has proved Postman right. He accurately foresaw that the young would inherit a frantically all-consuming media culture of glitz, gossip, and greed." -Camille Paglia

"A brilliant, powerful, and important book. This is an indictment that Postman has laid down and, so far as I can see, an irrefutable one." -Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World