Reviews

Gr 7 Up‘Wakin chronicles the impact of television's broadcast news on the last 50 years of U.S. history. Incorporating authoritative sources on both media journalism and major national events, this fact-filled account will be most useful to young people who have some knowledge of post-World War II America. The book looks at each decade's confrontations, politics, wars, heroes and villains, and eye-openers. From McCarthyism to the Kennedy assassination to Watergate to the O.J. Simpson trial, it explores the interplay between how these occurrences were portrayed on the screen and how they influenced public opinion. Black-and-white photographs of leading figures and happenings accompany the chronological text. Photographic collages of "average Americans" (all Caucasian) with heads inside TV sets are meant to represent the different time periods stylistically. Instead, their inclusion trivializes the reality that individuals have control over how they view and think about the images and stories presented on television. Other black-and-white photos of varying quality appear throughout. While the title indicates a broad coverage, the cultural effects of TV on advertising, regular shows, and entertainment are not discussed. The strength of this work is in its age-appropriate explanation and analysis of how news coverage has molded and been shaped by notable trends and current events.‘Janet Woodward, Franklin High School, Seattle, WA