My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book offers a powerful look at popular culture and the ways it has improved human cognition throughout society. This stands in stark contrast to the typical view that popular culture is dumbing down society. I like the way Johnson pulls in a variety of arguments from different aspects of the Sciences and the Humanities - - but I think if the book had better structure this multidisciplinary look would have helped the argument even more. That said the book offers a well-reasoned and critical look at popular culture and addresses the implications of our media-saturated society. I hope that parents can understand the book's premise that even popular media offer different benefits to a child's development. I think this is especially true when intermixed with other media and parental corregulation. Although this book falls short of being a parenting must-read because it doesn't directly address parental issues on the whole, it does have powerful and important implications for parents. It does an excellent job of making its argument against a pessimistic criticism of popular culture while refraining from being overly optimistic by using clear reasoning and supporting facts.
The main criticism I have for the book focuses on its structure. I feel the argument would have been better expressed if structured around clearly defined chapters and points rather than the vague part I/II. Also I feel that Johnson could have started out with a stronger and more clear thesis overview. He developed the argument well and clearly at the end of the book, but the beginning of the book felt choppy and lacking focus. The thesis and main points laid out at the beginning of the book provided an adequate but unremarkable framework for the book as a whole.
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