Hey Kidz! Buy This Book: A Radical Primer on Corporate and Governmental Propaganda and Artistic Activism for Short People - Softcover

Grade 8 Up–Moore believes that "kidz" need to "mediate their media" in order to avoid being sucked into the parallel universe of measured falsehoods and mindless trivia that is commercial communications today. In this funny, feisty, and useful handbook, she begins by simply reminding readers that anytime they see a brand name, in any context, it's an advertisement. Once readers' baseline media-awareness levels have been tweaked, she outlines ways in which advertisers attempt to manipulate people, explaining that advertising certainly isn't "cool," but should not be dismissed as merely an inevitable annoyance. Instead, she suggests that it's a demonstrably negative force in the lives of individuals and society as a whole and provides readers with strategies and resources for fighting back against advertisers and Big Media. As is true with her prose style, her suggested methods for corporate confrontation and consumer consciousness-raising sometimes cross the fine line that separates the lively from the loopy. While many of the activist tactics outlined are prankish, Moore is careful to warn readers about forms of demonstration that might be dangerous or illegal. She's less careful about writing for her audience; unfortunately, her language and humor are not always age-appropriate for preteens. Libraries looking for a more balanced treatment of the topic that's actually suitable for all "kidz" should consider Shari Graydon's Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know (Annick, 2003).–Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.