White Noise - By Don DeLillo

Reviewed by Judi Clark May 03, 1998

White Noise is the story of Jack and Babette and their children from several previous marriages. They live in a college town where Jack is a Professor of Hitler Studies,Babette teaches posture and reads tabloids to elderly people. Except for the possibility of some drug that Babette seems to be hiding, everything is normal chaos in their lives. And then a deadly toxic accident causes them to seek shelter, bringing to surface this nagging fear of death.

DeLillo has a knack for capturing the essence of American popular culture through intelligence and ironic humor. White Noise essentially is about American's fear of death, but it touches upon so many silly things in our society that it certainly goes far beyond this subject. On the other hand, you can say that it is simply about everyday life and everyday relationships. I find it interesting that this book was first published in 1984, since it seems to point out things that seem even more true today, (like a drug similar to Prozac)  than I recall from 15 years ago. One thing that dates the book is the "generic" food section at the supermarket. Remember the black and white packaging? Now, where did that concept go... 

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Media and Society - By Arthur Asa Berger

Media and Society: A Critical Perspective Book Description

Media and Society, Second Edition is a lively, illustrated introduction to the role that mass media play in our lives and our society. Featuring updated examples and illustrations, as well as expanded material on media theories and ideology, Media and Society helps us understand the relationship between consumers and media the books, television, radio, magazines, websites, video games, newspapers, movies, and other mass media we encounter every day.

Arthur Asa Berger has contributed to Media and Society: A Critical Perspective as an author. Arthur Asa Berger is Professor Emeritus of Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University, where he taught between 1965 and 2003.. He has published more than 100 articles, numerous book reviews, and more than 60 books. Among his latest books are "The Academic Writer's Toolkit: A User's Manual "(2008), "What Objects Mean: An Introduction to Material Culture "(2009), "Bali Tourism "(2010), "Tourism in Japan: An Ethno-Semiotic Analysis "(2010), "The Culture Theorist's Book of Quotations "(2010) and "The Objects of Our Affection: Semiotics and Consumer Culture "(2010).

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