"Authors Holtzman and Sharpe quote one of their students: 'Humanity is our basic understanding; compartmentalizing people is something that's taught.' Then, through a thoughtful blend of textual interpretation, self-reflection, social science theory, and cultural analysis, they produce a wonderfully written critique of film, television, and popular music in our time of controversial new laws that open the door to legal discrimination under the guise of standing your ground, eliminating voter fraud, or protecting certain religious beliefs. While not a media literacy book per se, Media Messagesencourages readers through examples, evidence, and exercises to think critically about media's--and our own--contributions to how we construct our realities of gender, class, race, and sexual orientation." -- Stanley Baran, Professor and Chair, Department of Communication, Bryant University "The second edition of Media Messagesis a welcome update to the groundbreaking original. Holtzman and Sharpe's readings of Hollywood movies and popular television shows help the reader understand the pervasiveness of class differences in American culture and make visible the many fault lines that crisscross our society." -- Louis Alvarez, Director of People Like Us: Social Class in America(PBS) "Holtzman provides a comprehensive survey of the major issues framing the ongoing debate regarding the social and cultural implications of the struggles over identity politics in contemporary media. Her approach appropriately combines ideological readings and a detailed examination of everyday life worlds. An important contribution to this evolving literature.
" -- Hal Himmelstein, Brooklyn College (on the previous edition) "Countless examples from each genre will resonate in some way for every reader, and questionnaires throughout help individuals explore his or her own values, definitions, beliefs, and perspectives. A vast amount of historical and media research is synthesized into thought-provoking and instructive material. Those with an interest in society and the media will find this quite appealing, and it will serve as an excellent text for college-level communications programs." -- Library Journal(on the previous edition) to the groundbreaking original. Holtzman and Sharpe's readings of Hollywood movies and popular television shows help the reader understand the pervasiveness of class differences in American culture and make visible the many fault lines that crisscross our society." -- Louis Alvarez, Director of People Like Us: Social Class in America(PBS) "Holtzman provides a comprehensive survey of the major issues framing the ongoing debate regarding the social and cultural implications of the struggles over identity politics in contemporary media. Her approach appropriately combines ideological readings and a detailed examination of everyday life worlds. An important contribution to this evolving literature.
" -- Hal Himmelstein, Brooklyn College (on the previous edition) "Countless examples from each genre will resonate in some way for every reader, and questionnaires throughout help individuals explore his or her own values, definitions, beliefs, and perspectives. A vast amount of historical and media research is synthesized into thought-provoking and instructive material. Those with an interest in society and the media will find this quite appealing, and it will serve as an excellent text for college-level communications programs." -- Library Journal(on the previous edition) ves. A vast amount of historical and media research is synthesized into thought-provoking and instructive material. Those with an interest in society and the media will find this quite appealing, and it will serve as an excellent text for college-level communications programs." -- Library Journal(on the previous edition).