Half American
In commemoration of Memorial Day, this week's review uncovers the experiences of African American soldiers in World War II and the impact of racism on their postwar lives.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Posted on April 1, 2019 in Review of the Week
Pranksters : making mischief in the modern world
McLeod, Kembrew. New York University, 2014
355p bibl index afp, 9780814796290 $29.95
This book borrows from and complements Pranks!, ed. by Andrea Juno and V. Vale (1987). McLeod (Univ. of Iowa) chronicles four centuries of playful and educational hoaxes, from the Rosicrucians and Illuminati to the ironic protest group Billionaires for Bush. McLeod’s particular interest is media, from 19th-century pamphlets to underground photostats to contemporary social media. He details the connections between pranks and the conspiratorial thinking that thrives on them, as with the John Birch Society, panic over satanic cults, and fear of world-controlling Freemasons. The anti-authoritarian ethos of the 1960s counterculture gets a good share of the attention as do the dangers of blowback (when a prank ends up damaging its cause). McLeod is himself a sometime prankster—he trademarked “freedom of expression” and confronted Bill Clinton in a robot costume—and he provides an insider’s view of some of his stunts. Though the scholarship is thoroughly documented, the stories are occasionally repetitive and the facetious tone sometimes conceals sloppiness with the facts. The rapid gallop through dozens of pranks makes for entertaining reading, but less narration and more analysis would have resulted in a better book.
Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. All readers.
Reviewer: J. T. Lynch, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark
Subject: Humanities
Choice Issue: Oct 2014
In commemoration of Memorial Day, this week's review uncovers the experiences of African American soldiers in World War II and the impact of racism on their postwar lives.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Looking at phone addiction, this week's review analyzes how humanity's obsession with technology has evolved and the value of taking a "digital detox."
Posted on in Review of the Week
Taking an intersectional approach to environmental policy, this week's review reveals the stories of Asian and Latina immigrant women at the forefront of the environmental justice movement in LA.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Taking an intersectional approach to mental health stigma, this week's review examines strategies for cultivating inclusive clinical practices and calls for increased research to aid stigma reduction.
Posted on in Review of the Week