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

Postman takes an enlightening look at the long-term effects of mass media--how it transforms the world, and the ways in which the media onslaught can be challenged. nWhat happens when media and politics become forms of entertainment? As our world begins to look more and more like Orwell's 1984, Neil's Postman's essential guide to the modern media is more relevant than ever. nIt's unlikely that Trump has ever read Amusing Ourselves to Death, but his ascent would not have surprised Postman. -CNN n nOriginally 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 control of our media, so that they can serve our highest goals. n nA 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 Worldn