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Neil Postman

Neil Postman's groundbreaking book, Technopoly, delves deep into the pervasive influence of technology on modern society. With keen insight and intellectual rigor, Postman challenges readers to critically examine the role of technology in shaping culture. By exploring how technology has become the dominant force in our lives, he raises crucial questions about the impact of this shift on human values, communication, and the very essence of our humanity. A timely and thought-provoking read, Technopoly offers a compelling exploration of the complex relationship between technology and culture in the digital age.

NY. Vintage. 1993. 233p.

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Philip Slater

Pursuit of Loneliness: American Culture at the Breaking Point by Slater delves into the complex fabric of modern American society, highlighting the pervasive sense of isolation and disconnection that plagues individuals in today's fast-paced world. Through a meticulous examination of cultural trends and societal norms, Slater unravels the layers of loneliness that have woven themselves into the very fabric of American life. The book offers insightful perspectives on the root causes of this phenomenon, shedding light on the impact of technology, urbanization, and shifting social dynamics. As Slater navigates through the myriad factors contributing to this pervasive loneliness, readers are compelled to reflect on their own relationships and experiences within the context of a society teetering on the edge of a breaking point. Pursuit of Loneliness serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of genuine human connection in an increasingly disconnected world, prompting readers to reevaluate the priorities and values that shape their lives.

Boston. Beacon Press. 1970. 166p.

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By Paul Fussell

In his thought-provoking book "Class," Paul Fussell delves into the intricate world of social hierarchies and distinctions. Through keen observation and meticulous analysis, Fussell explores how class permeates every aspect of society, from language and fashion to education and values. Drawing on examples from literature, history, and everyday life, he uncovers the unspoken rules and codes that govern social interactions and shape our perceptions of one another. A fascinating and insightful read, "Class" challenges readers to reflect on their own place within the complex tapestry of social class.

Simon and Schuster, 1992, 239 pages

By Jonathan Munby

In this study of Hollywood gangster films, Jonathan Munby examines their controversial content and how it was subjected to continual moral and political censure.

Beginning in the early 1930s, these films told compelling stories about ethnic urban lower-class desires to "make it" in an America dominated by Anglo-Saxon Protestant ideals and devastated by the Great Depression. By the late 1940s, however, their focus shifted to the problems of a culture maladjusting to a new peacetime sociopolitical order governed by corporate capitalism. The gangster no longer challenged the establishment; the issue was not "making it," but simply "making do."

Combining film analysis with archival material from the Production Code Administration (Hollywood's self-censoring authority), Munby shows how the industry circumvented censure, and how its altered gangsters (influenced by European filmmakers) fueled the infamous inquisitions of Hollywood in the postwar '40s and '50s by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Ultimately, this provocative study suggests that we rethink our ideas about crime and violence in depictions of Americans fighting against the status quo.

Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press, 1999. 277p.

Edited by Stephen C. Finley, Biko Mandela Gray, and Lori Latrice Martin

Religious Fervor, White Workers and the Myth of Black Racial Progress. This book sheds light on the phenomenon of white rage, and maps out the uneasy relationship between white anxiety, religious fervour, American identity and perceived black racial progress. Contributors to the volume examine the sociological construct of the 'white labourer', whose concerns and beliefs can be understood as religious in foundation. They uncover that white religious fervor correlates to notions of perceived white loss and perceived black progress .

Edinburgh University Press. 2020. 328p.

By by Naomi Mandel.

Generation X, comprised of people born between 1960 and 1980, is a generation with no Great War or Depression to define it. Dismissed as apathetic slackers and detached losers, Xers have a striking disregard for the causes and isms that defined their Boomer parents. In Disappear Here: Violence after Generation X, Naomi Mandel argues that this characterization of Generation X can be traced back to changing experiences and representations of violence in the late twentieth century. Examining developments in media, philosophy, literature, and politics in the years Xers were coming of age, Mandel demonstrates that Generation X’s unique attitude toward violence was formed by developments in home media, personal computing, and reality TV. This attitude, Mandel contends, is key to understanding our current world of media ubiquity, online activism, simulated sensation, and jihad. With chapters addressing both fictional and filmic representations of violence, Mandel studies the work of Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, Claire Messud, Jess Walter, and Jonathan Safran Foer. A critical and conceptual tour de force, Disappear Here sets forth a new, and necessary, approach to violence, the real, and real violence for the twenty-first century.

Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 2015. 264p.