By Neil Postman

Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman’s groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the internet to cell phones—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining control of our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.

“A brilliant, powerful, and important book. This is an indictment that Postman has laid down and, so far as I can see, an irrefutable one.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World.

Those seeking supplemental information might want to listen to the audio file of an interview with Neil Postman dealing with Amusing Ourselves to Death on YouTube. You Tube also has a video of C-SPAN’s 1988 interview with Postman. You’ll want to have about an hour to spare for each.

You might find the 1985 NY Times review of Amusing Ourselves to Death interesting. There are many reasonably contemporary essays that center around Postman’s arguments. This article in The Atlantic was, I thought, quite interesting.