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Summary: Does American Family Instability Have an Impact?
Review: Given all the praise for this "wonderful book" on the benefits of violence, does this book considers the effects of violence in a present-day society of unstable family life? The violence of my generation [age 50] (esp. in cartoons) was buffered by a strong family life, moral values, and a society supported by a responsible-corporate America - which is not the case today. [Money seems to be the only important thing in America and to hell with the children.] Are we suppose to believe that with the high percentages of youth engaged in drug/alcohol abuse, crime, STD-infections, effects of divorce and other societal ills, that the steady-diet of violence targeted at them has little or no affect?
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Summary: Great Antidote for "Conventional Wisdom"
Review: Given how deeply the "media violence is bad" meme has sunk into our national consciousness at this point, it's great to see a concise and coherent refutation available. I would recommend this book to any parent or teacher.
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Summary: One of the best parenting books!
Review: I am one of those people who are obsessed with reading parenting books. This is probably one of my favorites. Most parenting books leave me feeling inadequate, guilty, and depressed. No matter how wonderful we are with our children, we can't fight the evils of society. No matter how hard we work to be good parents, we're still not doing enough. This is the first parenting book I've read that left me feeling actually HOPEFUL. As a child, I had a VERY active imagination. I also watched a lot of television...including a lot of horror movies. The boob tube didn't ruin my imagination and the horror movies didn't turn me into a violent criminal. I always thought I was just an anomaly since the media and medical community keeps warning us about how horrible television is. My husband also is a TV addict. And now our son loves to watch TV too. I kept worrying about it...that we were ruining our child's imagination by not throwing the TV into the trash. But after reading this book, I feel I can relax. Now I notice that yes my child watches a lot of TV. But he doesn't sit there in a trance. He watches a little, gets up and plays, watches a little more, than gets up and plays. He borrows ideas from TV and expands on it. I also want to say that I used to be a preschool teacher. Every school I worked at had a no-gun-play rule at school. Even before reading the book, I thought it was ridiculous. Children just naturally want to play guns! As soon as you turn your head, they're turning legos and tinker toys into guns. Then catch them in the act of shooting. You ask them what they've made and they lie "A water sprayer!" I've also seen schools that forbid all super hero play. Come on, don't you think there is a reason that almost all children for the last thirty or so years have had a Batman and/or Superman obsession? Anyway, this book should be required reading for all preschool and daycare workers.
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Summary: A solution to a deadlocked discussion?
Review: I first heard of this author on a radio interview. I was intrigued by what he said, but what truly struck me was the interviewer's comment afterward; he said, in effect, that all our previous efforts to deal with the power of media and violence in children's lives haven't worked but "maybe this guy has the answer." That caught my interest, because I see so many problem-solving efforts in modern America trapped in fruitless conflicts between two sides (liberal v. conservative, free speech v. watchdogs). Two sides more invested in continuing the conflict and placing blame than making any real change. Until someone steps up with a new solution that pulls together the strengths of both sides and moves the discussion forward. My interest and hopes were very well borne out by the author's book. I don't like violent media, and I'm inclined even after "Killing Monsters" to believe that it has many negative influences on our society. What Gerard Jones makes clear, however, is that simply asserting its negative effects with increasing anger and fear does do good for anyone. Young people interpret attacks on their popular culture as attacks on them, and so they become only more defensively attached to what we criticize. Censorship is problematic because the young people most fascinated by something forbidden will be the very ones to find it anyway; and, as Jones shows well, if it is forbidden they will be unable to discuss it openly with adults but will identify with a subculture that makes that media its core. "Overidentify" is a word Jones uses several times to describe the conditions that lead to a negative reaction to media. This, I believe, is what the host on my local radio station was referring to: if we are to change the way young people react to media (or "harness the power of media," as Jones also says) we must begin by understanding why they like what they do and what sorts of interpretations they give it. This is why this book particularly excites me: not so much that it argues that violent media is "good" but that it opens the door to reducing its negative effects. I don't know that even the author intended this as his book's primary message (indeed, I think he often errs by downplaying the reality of violence in contemporary American society), but for those of us who are concerned the culture of violence, that may be its most important argument. I believe this may indeed be the "answer" to a circular argument that has seemed for decades to make no difference to the harsh reality of our society or the content of popular culture. The book's tone is thorough, measured, and persuasive. My sense is that it will be of greatest interest to those who are already inclined to think about these issues, whether from a personal or philosophical point of view. I, who have no children but am very concerned about the quality of contemporary culture, found it compelling. As did a friend with two young boys. Another friend, however, found it "a bit slow." Interestingly, he confessed that he agreed with nearly all of the book's points, and said he didn't feel the need of so many thorough arguments and examples to support them. Gerard Jones has created something intriguing here: a book that may be more interesting to those inclined to disagree with his initial thesis than those who agree. That, perhaps, is the mark of a truly thoughtful and thought-provoking work.
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Summary: Must-read for anyone worried about violence!
Review: I heard this author on 3 NPR interviews in about a week (Fresh Air, To the Best of Our Knowledge, and I think Todd Mundt) and with each interview knew more certainly I HAD to read this book! I was not disappointed! As a teacher and sometime child advocate who's very concerned about youth violence and the messages of the media I knew there was a lot more to this than we usually hear. This book has that "lot more." This is not just the usual defense of media (Mr. Johnson's review takes something totally out of context.) I've never read a book that was more obviously by someone who cares about kids--and knows how to listen to them! If you care about kids, media, or society, you have to get to know this book!
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Summary: Fun with mass media!!
Review: I knew Gerard Jones from his history of TV comedy, Honey I'm Home, which I thought was about the smartest analysis I've ever read of TV. Took me a while to get used to how different this one is--much more experiential and emotional--I guess thats' what fatherhood does to ya! But it's every bit as sharp. The media history is fascinating! One chapter tracking the "battle over entertainment" from 1800s to now really turned my head around. And he describes psychological theories as entertainingly as TV shows. agree or disagree, it throws as many new ideas per chapter at you as most whole books--this one's bold and clear and strong!
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Summary: Junk science
Review: I must admit that I do not understand the glowing reviews given to this book. The author, a man in the entertainment industry, is defending his job by turning the tables on his critics. Where study after study show links between entertainment violence and real-world violence, the author uses anecdotal evidence to suggest that the link is actually inverted, that is that entertainment violence *decreases* real-world violence. I read the book from cover to cover, and found his arguments unconvincing. What I wish the author had addressed is the success of advertising. Companies, the world over, spend vast fortunes on advertising, because what is seen influences what one does, and not in an inverted relationship. If you feel compelled to read this book, then I most heartily recommend that you read it with an open mind to what the author is both saying, and what he is not saying. This book is more junk-science served up by a corporate insider to support corporate profits.
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Summary: Every parent should read this book!
Review: I read Killing Monsters as soon as I heard about it and it exceeded my expectations. Jones' thorough examination of the too-hot-to-touch topic of the *valid* place fantasy violence holds in children's lives is entirely readable and credible.
If you think before you have read it that you won't agree with Jones' point of view, you might surprise even yourself since Jones is reasonable and pursuasive in his analysis. Killing Monsters should be added to the list of must-reads for parents.
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Summary: Great discovery
Review: I recently stumbled across this book while shopping at a bookstore, and it came at a perfect time. I have a 3-and-a-half year old son that enjoys some shows that some people feel are not appropriate for young children. Shows like Power Rangers (his all-time favorite), Pokemon, and a few others. My son goes to a Montessori School, and we have always been quite happy with him there. One day, the head of the school pulled my wife aside and said we have a problem with my son's behavior. She stated that he was showing "aggressive behavior" and that he was the ring leader of a handful of kids that had the same problem. Our first reaction was shock and a fear that we were bad parents. Coming from someone who deals with kids all the time, you feel they would know what's best. She said that the shows he was watching were causing the problem, and that we should not let him be involved in watching those shows. That's when I started thinking about it. I asked her the next time I saw her to define aggressive behavior. She said that my son and his friends would play fight and do karate on each other. I asked if he actually ever hit anyone, and she said no. I also asked if anyone was ever hurt or if they took the playing beyond just playing. She had no answer. I even asked if they took turns winning and she said yes, and that was part of the problem! This is when I found Killing Monsters, and I am so glad I did. The things it talks about directly related to me and my relationship with my son. I love when he watches Power Rangers, and puts on every article of clothing he owns to enhance his powerful character. He walks through the house as though he could conquer anything! He also wants us to hug and kiss him during the Barney song, and that shows another soft and incredibly gentle side that my wife and I love. Play fighting and toy swords are my son's favorite, and to have to take that away from him seemed so unnecessary. I loved this book and read it twice. I have also passed it on to friends with children that have loved it just as much. I am a young man, only 30 years old. There are a lot of parents like myself that were raised around video games and violent movies. Taking that away doesn't solve a problem. It's all about parental involvement and education. This book reinforced what I believe is the key to a healthy child.
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Summary: New perspective on an old problem
Review: If you read mainstream press reports and scholarly articles, you learn that parents, teachers, and politicians are afraid of what violent entertainment might be doing to kids. As a comic book author, researcher, and father, Gerard Jones noticed something peculiar about this statement: it deals only with what adults are thinking or worried about. In Killing Monsters, Jones sets out to understand what the children who use violent fantasies are thinking and worried about. Often, these kids are at major transitions in their lives: going to school for the first time, dealing with family losses, becoming young adults, and so on. What Jones illustrates is that for these kids, violent fantasies give them power, control, and flexibility. This is something they noticeably lack in their day to day lives, and it is a shame that more parents, teachers, and politicians aren't asking the kids why they like and use these kinds of stories so much. So, should you keep violent media away from your kid? That's up to you. Read this book, and then ask yourself if the questions and worries that keep you up at night are the same kind that keep your kids up at night. I think that you might begin to encourage them to slay the monsters under their beds.
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