Gerard Jones's Honey, I'm Home! has been widely acclaimed as the premier primer on America's Morality Plays--the TV situation comedies that have chained us to our Barcaloungers ever since Lucy first bawled her way into our hearts. Recalling the best and worst the sitcoms have had to offer, Jones recreates their atmosphere and their times with wisdom and style; paralleling the memory-lane trip is his shrewd and provocative assessment of the sitcom's influence on modern society. From Father Knows Best to Married...with Children, from the empty calories of The Brady Bunch to the social commentary of All in the Family, Honey, I'm Home! is a connoisseur's guide to the sitcom world--where everybody knows your name, and any problem can be solved in twenty-two minutes, plus commercials.

Honey, I'm Home!: Sitcoms: Selling The American Dream

Humor & Entertainment

Jones, Gerard

Television

St. Martin's: Griffin

Before the Incredibles, there were Batman and Superman, Spiderman and Captain America...Gerard Jones' book tells the fascinating inside story of the comic superheroes. In the depths of the Depression, out of the crowded tenements of New York and Chicago, the comic book superhero leapt into being. Out of a mix of geekiness, science fiction, and outsider yearning, a crew of young men from working-class Jewish neighbourhoods and shady backgrounds created a series of blue-eyed, chisel-nosed crime fighters and adventurers who quickly captured the imaginations of young and old. Within a few years their creations had spawned a new genre that still dominates youth entertainment seventy years later. Gerard Jones draws on exhaustive research to portray how the immigrant experience and an outsider mentality shaped the vision of the make-believe hero, while a bizarre melting-pot of left-wing politics, mob money and the worlds of soft-porn and detective magazines contributed to the publishing world that produced the comics that brought them to millions. He chronicles how the success of the comics provoked a backlash that nearly destroyed the industry in the 1950s, and how later they surged back, inspiring a new generation to transmute pre-war fantasies into art, literature, blockbuster movies and graphic novels. Men of Tomorrow brilliantly demonstrates how the creators of the superheroes established their crucial place in the modern imagination.

Men of Tomorrow : Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

William Heinemann, Ltd.

Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book

By the Eisner Award-winning author of The Comic Book Heroes, Killing Monsters, and scores of successful comic books and screenplays, Men of Tomorrow is the first book to tell the surprising story of the young Jewish misfits, hustlers and nerds who invented the superhero and the comic book industry. Among the characters in this vibrant panorama: · Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the goofy myopic creators of Superman, who sold the rights to the Man of Tomorrow for $130 to... Harry Donenfield, former pornographer and con-man, and his partner, Jack Liebowitz, founder of DC Comics, who went on to help build Steve Ross's legendary Warner Communications. Batman's Bob Kane, who rose to fame and fortune in a career based entirely on lies and self-promotion. Mort Weisinger, the ruthless editor of Superman, who suffered a nervous breakdown when he tried to be a superhero himself. Plus Stan Lee, founder of a new kind of hero, including Spiderman, at Marvel Comics; Will Eisner, whose creation "The Spirit" has become a cult classic, and many, many more. Springing unheralded out of working-class Jewish immigrant neighborhoods in the depths of the Depression, these young men transformed an odd mix of geekdom, science fiction, and outsider yearnings into blue-eyed chisel-nosed crime-fighters and adventurers who quickly captured the mainstream imagination. Within a few years their inventions were being read by 90% of American children and had spawned a new genre in movies, radio and TV that still dominates youth entertainment seventy years later. Drawing on exhaustive research, including interviews with friends and relatives of the creators, Jones reveals how the immigrant experience and the collision of Yiddish and American culture-forged in the crucible of two world wars-shaped the vision of the make-believe hero. He chronicles how the comics sparked a frightened counterattack that nearly destroyed the industry in the 1950's and how later they surged back at an underground level, to inspire a new generation to transmute those long-ago fantasies into art, literature, blockbuster movies and graphic novels. Animated by the stories of some of the last century's most charismatic and conniving artists, writers and businessmen, Men of Tomorrow brilliantly demonstrates how the creators of the superheroes gained their cultural power and established a crucial place in the modern imagination.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Basic Books

Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokémon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied pipers who practice mass hypnosis on our youth. Indeed, argues the author of this lively and persuasive paean to the power of popular culture, even violent and trashy entertainment gives children something they need, something that can help both boys and girls develop in a healthy way. Drawing on a wealth of true stories, many gleaned from the fascinating workshops he conducts, and basing his claims on extensive research, including interviews with psychologists and educators, Gerard Jones explains why validating our children's fantasies teaches them to trust their own emotions, helps them build stronger selves, leaves them less at the mercy of the pop-culture industry, and strengthens parent-child bonds. Jones has explored the cultural meanings of comic books and sitcoms in two well-received books: the Eisner Award winning Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book and Honey I'm Home: Sitcoms Selling the American Dream. He has also been a regular writer for Marvel and DC Comics and worked for the Cartoon Network. In Killing Monsters he presents a fresh look at children's fantasies, the entertainment industry, and violence in the modern imagination. This reassuring book, as entertaining as it is provocative, offers all of us-parents, teachers, policymakers, media critics-new ways to understand the challenges and rewards of explosive material. News from Killing Monsters:· Packing a toy gun can be good for your son-or daughter. Contrary to popular opinion, research shows that make-believe violence actually helps kids cope with fears. ·Explosive entertainment should be a family affair. Scary TV shows can have a bad effect when children have no chance to discuss them openly with adults.· It's crucial to trust kids' desires. What excites them is usually a sign of what they need emotionally.· Violent fantasy is one of the best ways for kids to deal with the violence they see in real life.

Killing Monsters

Jones, Gerald

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Life Work S Freud 1 Vol Abr

Psychology & Counseling

An analytical biography of the precursor of psychoanalysis and famous neurologist, which reveals his childhood, courtship and marriage, career, ill health and death from cancer. Bibliogs

The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud, 3 Volumes

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Life Work S Freud V1

Life Work S Freud V2

Life Work S Freud V3

Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence

From a veteran creator of children's entertainment, an insider's view of how even the most violent games and TV shows can help children conquer fears and develop a bold sense of self. Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokémon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied pipers who practice mass hypnosis on our youth. Indeed, argues the author of this lively and persuasive paean to the power of popular culture, even trashy or violent entertainment gives children something they need, something that can help both boys and girls develop in a healthy way. Drawing on a wealth of true stories, many gleaned from the fascinating workshops he conducts, and basing his claims on extensive research, including interviews with psychologists and educators, Gerard Jones explains why validating our children's fantasies teaches them to trust their own emotions and build stronger selves.

Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-believe Violence

Diane Pub Co.

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