• Published by Greenhaven Press

Popular culture -- the common set of arts, entertainment, customs, and beliefs shared by large segments of society -- both reflects and influences modern opinions and values. For example, does the glorification of guns by many rap artists merely reflect the realities of inner-city life, or does it also contribute to the problem of gun violence? Examining the popular culture of the past is also an important part of understanding history. Did the Vietnam protest music of the late 1960s and early 1970s, for example, simply reflect popular antiwar sentiments, or did it help turn public opinion against the war?

Greenhaven Press's Examining Popular Culture series provides students with the resources to begin exploring these types of questions. Each title in the series focuses on a particular aspect of popular culture, with topics as varied as popular culture itself. Each volume consists of an introductory essay followed by selections that offer a survey of critical thought about the subject. What is "popular" changes rapidly from year to year and even month to month, and those who study popular culture must constantly struggle to keep up. The volumes in Greenhaven's Examining Popular Culture series are intended to introduce readers to the major themes and issues associated with each topic, so they can begin examining for themselves what impact popular culture has on their lives.

"As in many other Greenhaven series, such as Opposing Viewpoints, these volumes in the new Examining Pop Culture series includes excerpts from a range of periodicals and primary sources. Both titles, with their sophisticated language and bibliographies of mostly scholarly resources, are best suited for older, academically advanced teens. A fine new series to spark well-informed discussions about lifestyle and current issues."
-- Booklist (October 2001)

See more reviews >>