Synopses & Reviews
Nearly one million weekly listeners trust NPR's Brooke Gladstone to guide them through the distortions and complexities of the modern media. This brilliant radio personality now bursts onto the page as an illustrated character in vivid comics drawn by acclaimed artist Josh Neufeld. The cartoon of Brooke conducts the reader through two millennia of history-from the newspapers in Caesar's Rome to the penny press of the American Revolution and the manipulations of contemporary journalism. Gladstone's manifesto debunks the notion that The Media is an external force, outside of our control, since we've begun directly constructing, filtering, and responding to what we watch and read. With fascinating digressions, sobering anecdotes, and brave analytical wit, The Influencing Machine equips us to be smart, savvy, informed consumers and shapers of the media. It shows that we have met the media and it is us. So now what?
Review
"One of the coolest and most charming book releases of this year." The Atlantic
Review
"A comic book with zest and brains--and it just might help a reader understand the brave new world." The New Yorker
Review
"A great book." Stephen Colbert
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"It's easy to imagine becoming mandatory reading in journalism classes around the country." Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
A million listeners trust NPR's Brooke Gladstone to guide them through the complexities of the modern media. Bursting onto the page in vivid comics by acclaimed artist Josh Neufeld, this brilliant radio personality guides us through two millennia of media history, debunking the notion that "The Media" is an external force beyond our control and equipping us to be savvy consumers and shapers of the news.
Synopsis
"Mind-opening, thought-provoking and incredibly timely... An absolutely spectacular read."--Cory Doctorow,
About the Author
Brooke Gladstone is cohost of NPR's On the Media and former senior editor of All Things Considered. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.Josh Neufeld is the author of the New York Times bestseller A. D.: New Orleans After the Deluge and A Few Perfect Hours. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.