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themorsecode's review
3.0
As noted by Bordo herself in the book, this wasn't originally intended as a book specifically about TV and it really shows - this is more of a personal reaction to Trump and the general move towards entertainment in TV news.over the past few decades (in the vein of the superior Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman). I enjoyed reading the book in general but it wasn't really what I had envisioned (or wanted) in a book on this subject.
chirson's review
3.0
I received this book from NetGalley for review.
A mixture of memoir, simple academic analysis and political essay, Bordo is not always at her best, but her reflections are passionate and fun to read. A lot of this was familiar ground for me, but still fun to read - and if there were a few moments when I rolled my eyes a tiny bit, there were lots more that seemed relatable, perceptive or simply fun. I think it will be very interesting for Bordo's readers in academia, to see that less academic side of her, and for someone with interest in TV, there's a few very good essays in there, too.
(I enjoyed seeing this even through the lens of it being Bordo's viewing list, oddly similar to mine.)
A mixture of memoir, simple academic analysis and political essay, Bordo is not always at her best, but her reflections are passionate and fun to read. A lot of this was familiar ground for me, but still fun to read - and if there were a few moments when I rolled my eyes a tiny bit, there were lots more that seemed relatable, perceptive or simply fun. I think it will be very interesting for Bordo's readers in academia, to see that less academic side of her, and for someone with interest in TV, there's a few very good essays in there, too.
(I enjoyed seeing this even through the lens of it being Bordo's viewing list, oddly similar to mine.)
sharondblk's review
This was rather tricky to rate. It is a little all over the place. Firstly the title is misleading: it is somewhat about TV, but mainly about other things. A slim volume like this seems to be trying to give us the history of feminism, racism and the move to the political right. In the middle of this Susan Bordo describes individual episodes of some television series.
Meanwhile, it is never overtly mentioned that this is a book about American television. The rest of the world just does not exist.
I'd like to read other things by Susan Bordo, since I think she has a lot to say - too much for this book which was, as the young people say "random".
Meanwhile, it is never overtly mentioned that this is a book about American television. The rest of the world just does not exist.
I'd like to read other things by Susan Bordo, since I think she has a lot to say - too much for this book which was, as the young people say "random".
levitybooks's review
3.0
February 2021 Reading Wrap-Up
As a millennial, I've seen the internet replace the telephone, the CD, the newspaper. Now, the rise of online streaming platforms are beginning to eclipse the TV and cinema as cultural objects and spaces. I really think we need more books like TV by Susan Bordo. We need a good discussion about how TV has shaped our cultural worldviews, while it is still relevant... before the TV has become obsolete! Technology is evolving faster than we can understand it, and we'll grow by understanding exactly what it is we're doing when looking at the screen.
I've read some fantastic essays on television and media, such as E Unibus Pluram by David Foster Wallace and The Medium Is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan. The problem is, they're all too academic to be enjoyable or accessible to common TV viewers, the very people that would benefit from reading it! TV by Susan Bordo is a great overview of the main cultural events that TV has helped shape. This book is a brilliant historical overview of 'US culture seen through TV'.
From the introduction I felt this was a 4* book, but it turned into a 3* book, because I found as the book progressed it focused less on TV and more on TV culture. Readers might be misled by how the product is marketed — an 'Object series' on TV sounds like an extensive, informative overview of the TV as a physical object. However, a large part of this book focus on how TV has informed feminism and politics in the USA. Some readers, especially non-American readers, might find this too focused in these fields. While the entire book is an enjoyable, easy read with a relatable author, I feel the later chapters could have been made more concise and less personal to allow room for discussions in other areas, to make the book a more balanced view of the as 'TV' as an object. I think that some readers might take slight issue with the author's views on feminism and racism in the USA, which in itself suggests that maybe 'TV as object' started to take a backseat halfway through the book! A more balanced overview might have treated the subject with the neutrality with which it seemed to be marketed (cover, title and introduction).
I instead wished there was more on the TV as an object — here are some examples. For instance, I was hoping for a discussion on the technological and design development of the TV as an object for consumers — how it moved from flat-screen, to LCD, to HD, to Bluray, to 4K. From having a TV stand, to being on a desk, to being wallmounted, to projected... I was interested in how 3D cinema, and now the rise of home VR technology, was replacing the cinema or the 'big screen'. I wanted to know more about online-streaming platforms, or how the internet news differs from the TV news and the physical newspaper. I wanted to know more about TV vs. 'Youtube on phone or tablet'. I wanted to know about fake news on TV vs. fake news on Facebook/reddit. I wanted to know about how the rise of deep fake technology threatens the public trust of visual media. I wanted to know about how TV adverts differed from printed or internet adverts.
The above are all points the author, given their speciality and interests, might not have considered. But I think these topics are of emerging interest to younger and more global audiences than the role of TV on US culture — I think some readers might be expecting more of this. The book did at points seem too much hinged on the narratives of TV shows or other authors, but the author has a likeable personality and I would've rather heard their opinion on these new technologies than past histories! The real wisdom in this book is that Susan Bardo is by her own terms elderly and by her qualifications highly knowledgeable in media, so it would've been great to hear her views on 'the future of TV as technology'rather than views on the present US election (which most people have heard enough about everywhere else). More of the future, less of the past (or citations from previous books or lectures). Also, I would say the internet has a considerable role in many of the cultural angles raised here (i.e. views about the election), and it would've been great if more was said about the difference between online media and TV media, even if it was about the US election. For example, Twitter's censorship of Trump, for example, seems like a noteworthy event given his presence on the news... although I wonder whether this book was written before that actually happened...
So yes, 3* because it's a good, enjoyable and accessible for TV fans in the USA. But no higher from me, as I think it is too sparse in focus — it reads like a great conversation about TV, it seems to go on tangents away from what it promises on the cover and the introduction. The focus moves too heavily from TV as cultural object to US TV culture, and so I feel some readers will be left looking for a deeper discussion on the TV itself.
Additional comments to editor:
-Typo in Mad Men section: change "Christina Henricks" to "Christina Hendricks"
-Maybe censor offensive words? I imagine the author and publisher have views on this, but I feel censoring offensive words (many of which are quotations) might increase the appeal of the book without taking anything away from the message.
This is my 1st advanced reader copy (ARC) review. This means I received this ebook for free, in exchange for this review by Netgalley. I'm not financially motivated, as I read library books, so I only read ARCs I actually think will be good enough for me to rate and review honestly.
As a millennial, I've seen the internet replace the telephone, the CD, the newspaper. Now, the rise of online streaming platforms are beginning to eclipse the TV and cinema as cultural objects and spaces. I really think we need more books like TV by Susan Bordo. We need a good discussion about how TV has shaped our cultural worldviews, while it is still relevant... before the TV has become obsolete! Technology is evolving faster than we can understand it, and we'll grow by understanding exactly what it is we're doing when looking at the screen.
I've read some fantastic essays on television and media, such as E Unibus Pluram by David Foster Wallace and The Medium Is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan. The problem is, they're all too academic to be enjoyable or accessible to common TV viewers, the very people that would benefit from reading it! TV by Susan Bordo is a great overview of the main cultural events that TV has helped shape. This book is a brilliant historical overview of 'US culture seen through TV'.
From the introduction I felt this was a 4* book, but it turned into a 3* book, because I found as the book progressed it focused less on TV and more on TV culture. Readers might be misled by how the product is marketed — an 'Object series' on TV sounds like an extensive, informative overview of the TV as a physical object. However, a large part of this book focus on how TV has informed feminism and politics in the USA. Some readers, especially non-American readers, might find this too focused in these fields. While the entire book is an enjoyable, easy read with a relatable author, I feel the later chapters could have been made more concise and less personal to allow room for discussions in other areas, to make the book a more balanced view of the as 'TV' as an object. I think that some readers might take slight issue with the author's views on feminism and racism in the USA, which in itself suggests that maybe 'TV as object' started to take a backseat halfway through the book! A more balanced overview might have treated the subject with the neutrality with which it seemed to be marketed (cover, title and introduction).
I instead wished there was more on the TV as an object — here are some examples. For instance, I was hoping for a discussion on the technological and design development of the TV as an object for consumers — how it moved from flat-screen, to LCD, to HD, to Bluray, to 4K. From having a TV stand, to being on a desk, to being wallmounted, to projected... I was interested in how 3D cinema, and now the rise of home VR technology, was replacing the cinema or the 'big screen'. I wanted to know more about online-streaming platforms, or how the internet news differs from the TV news and the physical newspaper. I wanted to know more about TV vs. 'Youtube on phone or tablet'. I wanted to know about fake news on TV vs. fake news on Facebook/reddit. I wanted to know about how the rise of deep fake technology threatens the public trust of visual media. I wanted to know about how TV adverts differed from printed or internet adverts.
The above are all points the author, given their speciality and interests, might not have considered. But I think these topics are of emerging interest to younger and more global audiences than the role of TV on US culture — I think some readers might be expecting more of this. The book did at points seem too much hinged on the narratives of TV shows or other authors, but the author has a likeable personality and I would've rather heard their opinion on these new technologies than past histories! The real wisdom in this book is that Susan Bardo is by her own terms elderly and by her qualifications highly knowledgeable in media, so it would've been great to hear her views on 'the future of TV as technology'rather than views on the present US election (which most people have heard enough about everywhere else). More of the future, less of the past (or citations from previous books or lectures). Also, I would say the internet has a considerable role in many of the cultural angles raised here (i.e. views about the election), and it would've been great if more was said about the difference between online media and TV media, even if it was about the US election. For example, Twitter's censorship of Trump, for example, seems like a noteworthy event given his presence on the news... although I wonder whether this book was written before that actually happened...
So yes, 3* because it's a good, enjoyable and accessible for TV fans in the USA. But no higher from me, as I think it is too sparse in focus — it reads like a great conversation about TV, it seems to go on tangents away from what it promises on the cover and the introduction. The focus moves too heavily from TV as cultural object to US TV culture, and so I feel some readers will be left looking for a deeper discussion on the TV itself.
Additional comments to editor:
-Typo in Mad Men section: change "Christina Henricks" to "Christina Hendricks"
-Maybe censor offensive words? I imagine the author and publisher have views on this, but I feel censoring offensive words (many of which are quotations) might increase the appeal of the book without taking anything away from the message.
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