Average customer rating:
- It tells you where to draw instead of how to draw!
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Figure sketching school (Learn as You Go)
Valerie Wiffen
Manufacturer: Readers Digest
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Binding: Hardcover
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Sketching School (Learn as You Go)
ASIN: 0762100680 |
Customer Reviews:
It tells you where to draw instead of how to draw!.......1999-11-07
The book doesn't have any exercise materials to practice on, it mostly talks about tips instead of technics. It has plently of pictures on the back which would have been nice, if they draw all of it in steps and show me how.
Average customer rating:
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The Shapes of Flowers: Winter
Naoshi Shibukawa
Manufacturer: Graphic-Sha Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 4766108868 |
Book Description
The world's deadliest living weapon just fell into the wrong hands. It's Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe in the best-selling, blockbuster storyline that will have Logan shredding his way through the X-Men, Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., and more! How does Wolverine end up fighting to destroy everything he holds dear? Collects Wolverine #20-25.
Customer Reviews:
I enjoyed it........2007-09-21
(Let me preface this review by saying I have been maxed-out on Wolverine and most of the Marvel x-books for about twenty years now... and it was a pleasant surprise to finally read one of their stories that wasn't bogged down in mutant politics or techno-fetishistic/alternate reality/Genosha-this, mutie-that/same-old,same-old pretentiousness... This was just a good, old-fashioned *fun* comic book, in the classic Marvel style. Yay. Finally!)
The "Wolverine: Enemy Of The State" epic is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced, no-holds barred superhero stories I've read in quite a while. Too often nowadays these big story arcs seem to wrap up in a hurry and have a weak ending -- such is NOT the case here: Mark Millar built up the tension, sustained the action and kept the pace just right, from beginning to end. Job well done. Here, Wolverine breaks free of the mind control that Hydra trapped him with, and is thus set loose to slice and dice to his heart's desire. Plenty of zombie ninja bite the dust, and Logan once again reasserts his butt-kicking bona fides. If you're looking for a good, simple, slam-bang superhero story, this is a darn good choice. (ReadThatAgain!)
Great storyline.......2007-07-04
This is a tremendos read and great trade. If you enjoy the hard, gritty, always thinking on his feet, faster with a plan, and fun to read Wolvie, this is your story. Simply one of the best!
Wolverine fights the biggest fights!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-06-13
In this book begins with wolverine transformed by H.I.D.R.A in a zombie/deadly-killer, and their mission is to kill all the heroes (Elektra, Ddaredevil, The avengers, etc.) and nothing seems to stop him. The art of John Romita Jr. is just perfect a very large compendium of shoking images. and the story telling is excellent too. This book it's a "must have".
Jam-Packed Action Movie.......2006-12-24
Probably the best Wolverine story that I've read in a long long time. This is basically a four hour action movie, as many reviewers have said, of Wolverine vs. the Marvel Universe. It's nothing deep or compelling, but it is exciting and a lot of fun to read. Mark Millar captures Wolverine's sarcastic voice and attitude perfectly well, and John Romita Jr's always available art is a pleasure to look at it. The coloring is absolutely gorgeous as well. A perfect weekend's worth of entertainment. A+
Wolverine Fights Everyone!.......2006-12-04
"Wolverine: Enemy of the State" by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. is comparable to "Batman: Hush" by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee or "Marvel Knights Spider-Man" by Millar and Terry Dobson. It is a "greatest hits" styled comic run filled with fan-pleasing moments like Wolverine vs. The Hand, S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, X-Men and members of the "Disassembled" Avengers. We also get Wolverine teaming up with Elektra fighting more ninjas and a shark. Finally, we have a new villain in an expert swordsman called Gorgon and his fight with Wolverine is among the bloodiest ever!
The story is not terribly cerebral and neither is there much in the way of character-development. But there's really nothing wrong with that. Most comics today are a little too cerebral where every notion of a character has been minutely deconstructed. More often than not, we have books showing the lead character on endless quests to find/redeem himself presented as a "character piece". This story is simple, stupid fun like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. And in that mold, it is done very, very well indeed with an irresistible dynamism and energy that gets to you.
Finally, "Enemy of the State" and the following work by Daniel Way ("Origins and Endings") return us to a Logan that is dangerous and edgy. He makes people uncomfortable and his presence in the Marvel Universe among other similarly colourfully-garbed characters is really tolerated rather than welcomed. For too long fans have been plagued with a Wolverine so cuddly that an irritating kid like Jubilee can climb all over him and call him all sorts of silly nicknames. Go back and read the original Chris Claremont and Frank Miller mini-series in the 1980s. There's a scene showing how rabid watchdogs shrink away from him because they sense that beneath his costumed-exterior, he's a more bestial predator. That is the element that has long been missing in Wolverine comics and we get it here in spades!
Book Description
In "The Greatest Invention in the History of Mankind Is Beer" and Other Manly Insights from Dave Barry Dave goes on a testosterone riff, enlightening all about the intricacies of being male. "At higher levels, testosterone causes destructive male behavior, the two most terrible kinds being: 1. War. 2. Do-it-yourself projects."
Customer Reviews:
Some right-on-target thoughts.......2004-06-27
The book is worth reading. Many of the observations are Dave Barry insightful. Then there are some fillers.
The problem is that most of Dave's best works requires you to go from the perfectly obvious to the unbelievable and believe it. This takes time and skill. This is what the book lacks.
"The Greatest Invention in the History of Mankind is Beer".......2001-05-17
I read this book after reading another of Dave Berry's hoping it would be better. Well, it was not. For one thing, it is very short and only one passage per page. This is the same as some of his others. I would only remcomend it to someone with nothing else to do.
For a more indepth review, see my other Dave Berry review, the books are very similar, so are my thought on his two books.
Have a good one.
Ryan
Dave Barry's "The Greatest Invention" is not that great.......2001-04-26
This little book is a big disappointment. Most or all of Barry's other books are his column or column-length pieces, in which he piles one incongruity on another to hilarious effect. This book is merely a collection of cute paragraphs. Dave Barry is Dave Barry. He's not Henny Youngman.
Average customer rating:
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Women and Experimental Filmmaking
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0252072510 |
Book Description
Ready to take your playing to the next level? This book presents valuable how-to insight that drummers of all styles and levels can benefit from. The text, photos, music, diagrams, and accompanying CD provide a terrific, easy-to-use resource for a variety of topics, including: grooves * practicing * warming up * tuning * gear * performance * and much more!
Book Description
The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, America's oldest and largest crossword competition, was founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who has directed it ever since. This volume of nearly 60 puzzles includes:
• All tournament puzzles (eight per year) from 1998 through 2004, specially commissioned and edited by Will Shortz, and constructed by America's puzzlemaking elite
• Official tournament photographs; non-competitive puzzles; information about the constructors, judges and winners; and other "you are there" details
The 2004 tournament attracted nearly 500 contestants from 31 states and four foreign countries, plus many top puzzle constructors and editors.
The 28th annual tournament takes place March 11-13, 2005.
Customer Reviews:
Compete against the experts.......2005-09-25
The back cover of this crossword puzzle collection claims that crosswords are the real xtreme sport. At first thought that seems preposterous. But think of it this way: instead of competing in a grueling physical activity, the participants in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament compete in an equally grueling mental one. And oddly enough, they gather together in order to perform a solitary activity. They race through timed puzzles at a breakneck pace in spite of the fact they normally solve puzzles at their leisure. Above all else, they get the opportunity to socialize with fellow crossword enthusiasts and have a good time.
Here's your chance to match your solving skills against those of the tournament masters. This collection, edited by American Crossword Puzzle Tournament founder Will Shortz, contains all 56 of the tournament puzzles from 1998 to 2004 in chronological order, along with their time limits and the actual solving times of the participants. This allows you to compare your time against theirs. The only shortcoming is that, in the interest of simplified scoring, you can compare only your solving time and not your accuracy. In reality, the participants receive a point score that includes both factors.
The puzzles in the book are the cream of the crop from noted puzzle constructors, and they range in difficulty from simple to devilishly difficult. There is a list of the winners in each year's contest since 1978. Interspersed among the puzzles are photos of solvers and constructors, along with tournament preparation and solving advice from the participants. If you think you've got what it takes to perform competitive crossword puzzle solving but can't make it to the annual Stamford Connecticut tournament, this book is the next best thing to being there!
Eileen Rieback
Book Description
You no longer need a traditional employer plan to get good, affordable health insurance. The New Health Insurance Solution can help you cut your health insurance costs in half if:
- You're self-employed, an independent contractor, or your employer doesn't provide health insurance (you can probably get coverage on your own for about $94/month—a fraction of what an employer would have to pay for the same coverage)
- You are employed and pay extra to cover your spouse or children under your employer-sponsored plan—you may save 50% by taking them off your employer plan
- You own a small business and are getting killed by double-digit premium increases—you can now give employees tax-free money to buy their own plans and get your company out of the health insurance business
The book also explains in detail the best solutions for you if:
- You can't find affordable health insurance because you or a child have an expensive preexisting medical problem (your state has a program to provide you with guaranteed coverage )
- You're currently putting money into an IRA or a 401(k)—because you don't realize that an HSA is always a better option
- You're unsure how you or your parents will be able to afford health insurance during retirement, or how to maximize benefits from Medicare—including the new Part D prescription drug plan
The New Health Insurance Solution is the definitive guide to the new ways every American can now get affordable health care—without an employer.
PAUL ZANE PILZER is a world-renowned economist, a former advisor in two White House administrations, an entrepreneur/employer, an award-winning adjunct professor at NYU, and a New York Times bestselling author.
Download Description
You no longer need a traditional employer plan to get good, affordable health insurance. The New Health Insurance Solution can help you cut your health insurance costs in half if: You're self-employed, an independent contractor, or your employer doesn't provide health insurance (you can probably get coverage on your own for about $94/month a fraction of what an employer would have to pay for the same coverage) You are employed and pay extra to cover your spouse or children under your employer-sponsored plan you may save 50% by taking them off your employer plan You own a small business and are getting killed by double-digit premium increases you can now give employees tax-free money to buy their own plans and get your company out of the health insurance business
Customer Reviews:
Must-have for RVers.......2007-04-19
This book is a must-have for people who are thinking about or planning to travel full-time in an RV who are not yet eligible for Medicare. The New Health Care Solution walks you through the process of selecting health insurance. Since full-time RVers can choose a new domicile, the charts in Appendix A will help you make that decision, expecially if you have a preexisting condition.
There is a lot of information packed in this book. It is great to have it all in one reference book. In addition to explaining the laws relating to COBRA, HIPPA and Medicare (plus loopholes you can take advantage of), he covers ways to reduce your costs and find low-cost health care and prescription drugs. For those who have no health insurance or a high deductible, this can make a significant difference. It is definitely a keeper.
Invaluable help in navigating the health insurance maze.......2007-02-12
An excellent,indeed invaluable book with concrete, thorough information and advice on how to get good health insurance coverage, especially aimed at those not covered or unsatisfactorily covered by group health insurance plans. The author has done an immense service by writing this book. It is the best book I have found on this subject, by far!
Not so hot for those with chronic illness.......2006-09-22
I found the book mostly informative and was excited to get the chapter for those with chronic illness, until I read the first paragraph... in which the author basically says have a job with some big corporation is his best advice for health insurance with a chronic illness. I am a Type 1 diabetic, young and healthy other than that. As a nonprofit director and consultant I thought I would get some helpful advice... However, the constant jabs at those with chronic illness and unhealthy lifestyles being the cause of such high healthcare were a little unbearable. The author used the words drug addicted, unhealthy, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes in conjunction with each other constantly. As someone who is is diabetic by no "fault" of my own... Diagnosed at age 4, not because I was overweight or ate the wrong foods, I found this lumping together insensitive and offensive. This book is a great resource if you are healthy, well-educated, and have a lot of time to do your own research... It's good to get educated about how best to use the system as is, but does little to look at or address the inequities and injustice of our current healthcare system in the U.S. It's a mess that deserves our creative attention! In the meantime, I'll keep paying over $580 a month for my health insurance plan without much hope of relief for something more affordable...
The must have health insurance guide.......2006-08-04
This book fills in all the wholes in the health insurance market that allows you to make informative decission on the direction for your health insurance needs for the family and being self employed.
Very Practical Advice.......2006-06-30
The author tries to resolve many common problems revolving around the high costs of health insurance. His ideas are practical and, in fact, they will work for the majority of people who are trying to lower health insurance costs. Unfortunately, there will always be those who are uninsurable in the individual and family market and who cannot afford risk pool coverage, and this is not a problem that can be solved immediately. However, the author is urging people to obtain individual coverage at a young age when they can qualify, and while it is still affordable. If most people did this, and if people did not depend soley on employer sponsored plans in their younger years, the author asserts that it would not be as difficult to have and keep good coverage in the older years. That is the concept behind this book.
In the reviews below, many complain that the author tries to simplify the problem and make it sound like anyone can obtain an individual policy at an affordable price. I don't think that is the overall message he is trying to get across. Rather, I think his message is intended to try to help change the mentality of the average consumer as far as "entitlement" goes, and he really tries to help people understand that personal responsibility in obtaining an individual policy is important AND can result in huge savings as well as protect against the possibility of losing coverage because of the inability to work due to illness.
Contrary to what some of the other reviewers say, the author does not contradict himself when he says on page 10 "premiums on most individual/family policies cannot be increased". If you read the rest of the sentence it says..."cannot be increased, ... if you become ill". That comment is true. Individual and Family Health Insurance Carriers typically only increase premiums annually or semi-annually based on overall inflation in the market and overall claims experience and utilization of the entire group of it's members.
I don't necessarily agree with the author's suggestion to small employers to establish an HRA to pay for employees to obtain their own individual policies. This is dangerous ground, as it could lead to discrimination if there is an employee who can't qualify for individual coverage. Also, what if someone didn't purchase maternity benefits, and then gets pregnant or has a family member that becomes pregnant? In essence, by paying for employee's individual policies, the employer has committed to a "group" benefit, which by state law requires "guaranteed issue of coverage" and maternity coverage. Therefore, the employer may put himself at risk with crafty "ERISA" attorneys who may find a legal way to make the employer responsible for claims of sick employees who can't qualify for their own coverage or for maternity claims for pregnant women. (This is just my humble opinion). Colorado residents....You may be interested in www.efsbenefits.com as a reputable place to purchase health insurance online.
Amazon.com
It's hard to imagine a more romantic real-life story than the long, forbidden love affair of the 18th-century Venetian nobleman Andrea Memmo and a half-English beauty named Giustiniana Wynne. Andrea Di Robilant's A Venetian Affair is drawn in part from a cache of letters discovered by the author's father in his ancestral palazzo on the Grand Canal. In 1753, his ancestor Andrea Memmo had been introduced to a lovely girl of uncertain station (illegitimate, although her parents later married). The Wynnes's position was precarious enough in Venice's rigid society, and Giustiniana's mother took every step to prevent the young aristocrat from corrupting her daughter. But the two lovers began to meet in secret: exchanging letters through confederates and communicating in public through an elaborate code of nods and gestures. They even came within a few days of being married before further dark revelations about Giustiniana's family put a permanent end to their hopes. Although Memmo went on to have an illustrious career in the dying Venetian Republic, it is Giustiniana's astonishing later life that really captures the reader. A Venetian Affair provides both a rich picture of the times--including cameo appearances by that scamp, Casanova--and a convincing account of an enduring passion. --Regina Marler
Book Description
In the waning days of Venice’s glory in the mid-1700s, Andrea Memmo was scion to one the city’s oldest patrician families. At the age of twenty-four he fell passionately in love with sixteen-year-old Giustiniana Wynne, the beautiful, illegitimate daughter of a Venetian mother and British father. Because of their dramatically different positions in society, they could not marry. And Giustiniana’s mother, afraid that an affair would ruin her daughter’s chances to form a more suitable union, forbade them to see each other. Her prohibition only fueled their desire and so began their torrid, secret seven-year-affair, enlisting the aid of a few intimates and servants (willing to risk their own positions) to shuttle love letters back and forth and to help facilitate their clandestine meetings. Eventually, Giustiniana found herself pregnant and she turned for help to the infamous Casanova–himself infatuated with her.
Two and half centuries later, the unbelievable story of this star-crossed couple is told in a breathtaking narrative, re-created in part from the passionate, clandestine letters Andrea and Giustiniana wrote to each other.
Customer Reviews:
Historical romance - the real thing!.......2007-06-08
I am an avid reader of historical fiction and usually dabble in non-fiction a few times a year. Venice seems to be a pull lately, and this wonderful and detailed account of two young lovers during the last days of Venice was a treat.
First, it is thrilling to read a real life account of a love forbidden by class and social snobbery, and two people who could not help themselves but to risk reputation, political power and wealth in spite of it all. Similar to fairy tales, Andrea Memmo and Giustiniana Wynne must contend with scheming enemies, jealous contenders and a watchful and foreboding mother, and in response they develop a secret code and a network of informants, allies and spies that spans Europe at times.
Second, they were pals with Casanova. How could life in Venice or Paris be boring when Casanova is around? His exploits have lived on for 250 years - thus reading anything that bears witness to his world first hand is fascinating.
Third, all is not roses in this romance. In addition to the aforementioned barriers to their love, they must also overcome infidelity, jealousy, distrust and large, looming secrets. Reading excerpts from their letters and seeing how they accomplish these feats is amazing. Giustiniana in particular shows astonishing cunning at times - and manages to accomplish a feat which today still seems impossible to the media and general public. Just goes to show how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Finally, the European scene during this time is fascinating in and of itself. I loved having the opportunity to witness it through Giustiniana's eyes and words, and watching her grow as well. We see her develop from a sheltered, dreamy adolescent into a worldly woman who was a century or more ahead of the rest of the world with regard to women's roles and freedoms. Her lost love, personal sacrifices and struggles to be accepted by society shaped her into a fascinating woman.
Andrea Di Robilant deserves enormous thanks for bringing his father's dream into fruition by translating these letters, researching family and political history, and writing it all down to share with the world.
A true life love story better than fiction.......2007-03-16
Through a series of letters a pair of lovers in 18th century Venice take great strides to be together. Based on ancestral correspondence written in code, Di Robilant pieces together a bond too powerful to break until the end of their days.
L'amour, l'amour!.......2006-10-26
A true-live bodice ripper! Fiction doesn't get better or more outragous than this heartbreaking story. Surrounded by the faded decadent glories of 18th century Venice, this book serves up a remarkable slice of history. It stretches from the palazzos of Venice to the court of Louis XVI to London and back...seduction, romance, infidelity, love found and lost, comedy, tragedy and skeletons popping out of the family closet! This is a beautifully, bitter-sweet family story that emerges from old love letters that is told with tenderness and compassion. I've passed out half a dozen copies of this book to friends. Whether your interest is in romance or specifically the history of Venice and the period, this is a must read.
Romantic Read.......2006-08-30
I brought this book with me to Venice last year, and read it there. A great book to bring with you on your next trip to La Serenissima. Fun, historical read. Interesting. Romantic.
Classic Romance!.......2006-08-04
This book immerses the reader into 18th Century Venice as well as Paris and London. The author is able to successfully capture the essense of that period. The love letters let the reader go into the two main characters' minds. We, the readers, feel their joys and sorrows. It's a fascinating look at 18th Century Europe. I highly recommend it!
Average customer rating:
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Tragic Years, 1860-1865: A Documentary History of the American Civil War
Paul M. Angle
Manufacturer: Da Capo Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 030680462X |
Average customer rating:
- Valuable but Naively Assimilationist in Tone
- Long needed research.
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The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America (Harvard Univ. Kennedy School of Gov't Goldsmith Book Prize Winner; Amer. Political Science ... in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion)
Robert M. Entman , and
Andrew Rojecki
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Media & Minorities: The Politics of Race in News and Entertainment (Spectrum Series)
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Racism, Sexism, and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America
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Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films
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Watching Race: Television and the Struggle for Blackness
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Media Messages : What Film, Television, and Popular Music Teach Us about Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation
ASIN: 0226210766 |
Book Description
Winner of the Frank Luther Mott Award for best book in Mass Communication and the Robert E. Lane Award for best book in political psychology.
Living in a segregated society, white Americans learn about African Americans not through personal relationships but through the images the media show them. The Black Image in the White Mind offers the most comprehensive look at the intricate racial patterns in the mass media and how they shape the ambivalent attitudes of Whites toward Blacks.
Using the media, and especially television, as barometers of race relations, Robert Entman and Andrew Rojecki explore but then go beyond the treatment of African Americans on network and local news to incisively uncover the messages sent about race by the entertainment industry-from prime-time dramas and sitcoms to commercials and Hollywood movies. While the authors find very little in the media that intentionally promotes racism, they find even less that advances racial harmony. They reveal instead a subtle pattern of images that, while making room for Blacks, implies a racial hierarchy with Whites on top and promotes a sense of difference and conflict. Commercials, for example, feature plenty of Black characters. But unlike Whites, they rarely speak to or touch one another. In prime time, the few Blacks who escape sitcom buffoonery rarely enjoy informal, friendly contact with White colleagues—perhaps reinforcing social distance in real life.
Entman and Rojecki interweave such astute observations with candid interviews of White Americans that make clear how these images of racial difference insinuate themselves into Whites' thinking.
Despite its disturbing readings of television and film, the book's cogent analyses and proposed policy guidelines offer hope that America's powerful mediated racial separation can be successfully bridged.
Customer Reviews:
Valuable but Naively Assimilationist in Tone.......2002-03-11
This is an important and well-researched study of the image of African Americans as presented in the media (mostly TV and Movies). Indeed, it is a "must read" for anyone interested in white attitudes regarding African Americans. The authors begin with a nice review the dominant survey research approach to gauging change in racial attitudes. They also discuss their own survey and qualitative study of Whites living in the Indianapolis metro area. The findings of the in-depth qualitative interviews are particularly interesting and valuable for folks interested in the validity of survey research on racial attitudes.
Rightly reserving the use of the counterproductive term "racist" for those who feel Blacks are a "lower order of humanity," the authors develop a framework for categorizing White American views of the African American population from "low denial" (enlightened) to "high denial" (overtly racist) (chapter 2).
In their view, most whites fall between these poles--termed by the authors as "ambivalent" (a mix of positive and negative views about Blacks.)
Unapologetically integrationist (assimilationist?) in their views, the authors see "low denial" whites as those folks who view African Americans sympathetically and empathetically, (as brothers/sisters), who share fundamental interests, but who suffer unique barriers to equal opportunity.
What seems to differentiate the "low-denial" whites from their well-meaning but "ambivalent" peers is that low-denial whites uncritically accept the victimization explanation for the social problems of the Black community.
This is where the trouble begins...
According to the authors, enlightened Whites see the Black community as largely helpless in the face of White dominated society. Hence, for example, high rates of crime and non-marital births stem from forces external to the Black community. These "enlightened" Whites appear to believe that if anti-Black stereotypes and discrimination were to end, the social problems experienced by African Americans would be resolved.
On the other hand, the mass of "ambivalent" whites is less likely to let struggling Black folks off the hook. They tend to see each person as a moral agent with the freedom to make choices even in the face of discrimination and inequality. They also feel that the stereotypes of Black folks have a grain of truth to them--e.g., that blacks do tend to be, say, less educated, more violent, more likely to bear children out of wedlock than Whites or Asians, as evidenced by empirical evidence reported in the media. These folks wonder (rightly in my opinion) whether current discrimination is really so powerful and dehumanizing as to engender the social problems of the black community.
The weakness of this morally laden framework is that it perceives folks who have honest questions about the role of individual choice and moral responsibility (i.e., character) in shaping life chances as somehow unenlightened ("in denial"). With the huge social problems associated with the Black community, I think it is fair to say that "ambivalent" attitudes towards blacks are justified. Indeed, survey evidence suggests that African Americans also share ambivalent attitudes towards their own racial group. (Even Jesse Jackson has made public his personal ambivalence towards young black men, admitting that he often has felt relieved to discover that the stranger walking towards him on a darkened street is not Black.)
If the majority of African Americans also recognize that endemic social problems exist within poor black communities, does that mean that they too are "in denial?"
Later in the book the authors go on to encourage the media to construct positive images that encourage "racial comity." They frame this as an ethical and political responsibility. But because the authors emphasize IMAGE over REALITY, the book often takes on an Orwellian tone. In my opinion, if the media seeks honest portrayals of African Americans, it will often reflect the reality of difference.
The authors seem to assume assimilation as a valued goal by finding flaw with any racial differentiation in fictional portrayals in movies and television. While multiculturalism celebrates group differences, the authors find problematic any racial differentiation whatsoever. This is a flawed perspective. African Americans are have a distinct history and culture and are not simply white folks in dark face. I suspect the authors would erase expression of these existential differences from the media if given the chance.
So while the book is a valuable contribution (as discussed by the previous reviewer), it suffers from a naively self-righteous and assimilationist perspective.
Long needed research........2000-06-06
This is a very important book of research. Though written in sociologist language (lots of statistics and repetitition claims), this is one work that provides meticulous reserach about how the media help perpetuate racial stereotypes and prototypes in this society.
As a teacher who is studying widely literature about the media, I found Entman and Rojecki's work useful for providing a lens to better analyze media representations of Black and White people. The authors contend that "Blacks now occupy a kind of limbo status in White America's thinking, neither fully accepted nor wholly rejected by the dominant culture. The ambiguity of Blacks' situation gives particular relevance and perhaps potency to the images of African Americans in the media."
They show that though representations of Black people are quantitatively better than in the past, these representations still convey stereotypical or ambiguous images of Blacks. For example, though there has been sharp increase of Black male actors in movies, their roles still revolve around plots that focus on sports, crime, and violence. In the area of news media, Blacks are usually presented as sources of disruption, as victims, and as complaining supplicants. These type of images, they contend, help to maintain a gap in what they refer to as comity on the part of Whites toward Blacks and other racial minorities in this country.
They provide a well known but much needed reiteration of why the media maintains these stereotypes and marginalizations of racial minorities: largely it's eoncomics."Media workers," they argue, "seek to make money for their organizations and advance their own careers. That means that they must stay vigilantly attuned to the presumed tastes of their target audiences. These creators operate in a professional culture and organizationl milieu that transmits lessons about what attracts and sells, what upsets and repels. Ratings and market research increasingly inform decisions, whether about news coverage or entertainment plots." They argue that political and White ethnocentricism play an equal role as well
Though critics may disagree with some of the authors'analysis and conclusions, this book deserves wide reading in media studies, communications, ethnic studies, and sociology courses. It should be read as a useful resource by concerned teachers and media activists.
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