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coleycole's review against another edition
4.0
This was great! The media-manifesto/history in comic form really works well. If you ever listen to "On the Media" on NPR, you will definitely be able to hear Brooke Gladstone's voice talking to you as you read.
chloekg's review against another edition
3.0
Good overview of media and media history, it's fun to hear Brooke Gladstone narrating in your head as the playful comics provide insight and comedy. It is very much a conversational read. That said, I'm displeased with a few chapters given more detailed background knowledge.
ellytheskelly's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
i really loved the first half, but the second half felt like it started dragging
zappa1776's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this graphic novel and recommend it. It would be an incredibly useful resource for teachers trying to introduce the role of the media in contemporary politics and history and the necessity of critical thinking skills.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Very readable and clear history of journalism and how we as readers/"the public" interact with media. Excellent section on bias and objectivity.
And, yes, it's a work of graphic non-fiction. But a picture tells a thousand words.
(In the acknowledgements she gave a shout-out to Scott McCloud's [b:Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art|102920|Understanding Comics The Invisible Art|Scott McCloud|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328408101s/102920.jpg|2415847] and I could really see how it was a good influence)
And, yes, it's a work of graphic non-fiction. But a picture tells a thousand words.
(In the acknowledgements she gave a shout-out to Scott McCloud's [b:Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art|102920|Understanding Comics The Invisible Art|Scott McCloud|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328408101s/102920.jpg|2415847] and I could really see how it was a good influence)
tjr_ohio's review against another edition
4.0
An impressive and dense condensation of a lot of ideas. I'm a huge On The Media fan, so I was predisposed to like this and to recall many of the ideas raised. I think the book is fascinating to contemplate but sacrifices the time or depth needed to be convincing. Each idea comes and goes very quickly.
My favorite portions were the explorations into the long history of media.
I think this would be a stellar book for a college or high school discussion course: a companion (replacement?) to Postman.
My favorite portions were the explorations into the long history of media.
I think this would be a stellar book for a college or high school discussion course: a companion (replacement?) to Postman.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
I've developed a really bad habit, now that I work in the main branch of a library. I finish a book and say, well, let's go downstairs and get another. Or sometimes I just go downstairs to get another, even if I have a pile or two at home to read. Great for my calfs, bad for my queue.
I liked this well enough. I mistook it for being a quicker read than it was, for a graphic novel and all. Much of the information was reiteration to this old J-School alum, but I couldn't help wishing I worked in a high school library to foist this upon teenagers. My boyfriend said the corresponding graphics were a Persepolis knock-off, but I rather liked them. They had a Chris Ware vibe to them.
I liked this well enough. I mistook it for being a quicker read than it was, for a graphic novel and all. Much of the information was reiteration to this old J-School alum, but I couldn't help wishing I worked in a high school library to foist this upon teenagers. My boyfriend said the corresponding graphics were a Persepolis knock-off, but I rather liked them. They had a Chris Ware vibe to them.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Yay for NPR correspondants doing other fun stuff! Yay for nonfiction comics! Yay for media analysis out there in a semi-accessible format! Yay for [a:Josh Neufeld|423196|Josh Neufeld|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1273504420p2/423196.jpg] getting work!
However...
Honestly, I was pretty surprised when Gladstone said in the acknowledgments at the end that she set out to write a comic book. I didn't feel like the text/writing completely suited the medium. There are whole pages of text, and a massive amount of the book is her talking at you. She says that [a:Scott McCloud|33907|Scott McCloud|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1231113775p2/33907.jpg]'s books were THE inspiration for this book. But I can't help going back to one thing he says over and over - the illustrations and the text should both add something to the other. And I know I'm a bad comic- and NPR-fan for saying this, but I really don't think she succeeds at getting that balance for most of this book.
I also missed an overall thesis. She got me thinking about many things, but I never had a sense of cohesion.
But I dig the topic, the perspective, the illustrations were great, and I will always look forward to reading more of Neufeld's work.
However...
Honestly, I was pretty surprised when Gladstone said in the acknowledgments at the end that she set out to write a comic book. I didn't feel like the text/writing completely suited the medium. There are whole pages of text, and a massive amount of the book is her talking at you. She says that [a:Scott McCloud|33907|Scott McCloud|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1231113775p2/33907.jpg]'s books were THE inspiration for this book. But I can't help going back to one thing he says over and over - the illustrations and the text should both add something to the other. And I know I'm a bad comic- and NPR-fan for saying this, but I really don't think she succeeds at getting that balance for most of this book.
I also missed an overall thesis. She got me thinking about many things, but I never had a sense of cohesion.
But I dig the topic, the perspective, the illustrations were great, and I will always look forward to reading more of Neufeld's work.