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The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media Paperback – May 7, 2012
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"Mind-opening, thought-provoking and incredibly timely… An absolutely spectacular read."―Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing
A million listeners trust NPR's Brooke Gladstone to guide them through the complexities of the modern media. Bursting onto the page in vivid comics by acclaimed artist Josh Neufeld, this brilliant radio personality guides us through two millennia of media history, debunking the notion that "The Media" is an external force beyond our control and equipping us to be savvy consumers and shapers of the news. two-color illustrations- Print length208 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
- Publication dateMay 7, 2012
- Dimensions7 x 0.6 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100393342468
- ISBN-13978-0393342468
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Editorial Reviews
Review
― Philadelphia Inquirer
"One of the coolest and most charming book releases of this year."
― The Atlantic
"A comic book with zest and brains―and it just might help a reader understand the brave new world."
― The New Yorker
"A great book."
― Stephen Colbert
About the Author
Josh Neufeld is the author of the New York Times bestseller A. D.: New Orleans After the Deluge and A Few Perfect Hours. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Product details
- Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (May 7, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0393342468
- ISBN-13 : 978-0393342468
- Item Weight : 14.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 7 x 0.6 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #193,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #107 in Educational & Nonfiction Graphic Novels
- #459 in Communication & Media Studies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Josh Neufeld is a comics journalist known for his graphic narratives of political and social upheaval, told through the voices of witnesses. He is the writer/artist of the bestselling nonfiction graphic novel A.D.: NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE DELUGE (Pantheon). In addition, he is the illustrator of the bestselling graphic nonfiction book THE INFLUENCING MACHINE: BROOKE GLADSTONE ON THE MEDIA (W.W. Norton). He was a 2013 Knight-Wallace fellow in journalism at the University of Michigan. Neufeld is a Xeric Award winner, and his work has been nominated for a number of other awards, including the Eisner and the Harvey. His books have been translated into French, Italian, and Dutch. Neufeld's illustrations have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his wife and daughter. To learn more, visit www.JoshComix.com.

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As a moderate, Do you hate your coworkers lunchtime debates, arguing those two positions?
then this book is absolutely a must read for you, and for them.
Step back from the heat of the moment, and have some well presented, deep thoughts on the overall way we create our media.
This book is a intelligent, understanding and deeply expressive look at all forms of media.
This is a well written book, a fun and easy read for people of all ages and all walks of life, and I promise, will teach you something revealing
about the media. I'd give it to 15 year olds, and I'd give it to college professors. that's a rare treat to have a book who's ideas are so well presented, yet so deep, that everyone would benefit from reading it.
I feel like after reading this book I have a deeper tolerance for the "other side", and for people who hold different opinions than my own. And, most importantly, where I thought I was in the center, I see that Im just a point on a perfectly valid series of spectrums.
read this book, explore what bias really means, and start to awaken to ones own hidden beliefs.
This book puts whole constellations of complex ideas into understandable stories, two to three pages at a time.
The brilliance of this book is that it gives a rock solid view of our media, and as a reflection- of all of us.
You will have wonderful jumps back in time, to the history of media, how its shaped human culture, and how its shaping us- and how we shape it.
You'll be presented with a real look at both sides of the debate, and then, suddenly, the lights come on about the mechanics of the debate itself, and what then is really the conflict.
I learned more about republican media, liberal media, Freedom of media vs government suppression of media.
I learned all the ways Bias shows up in the media, and in myself.
I learned how media checks the government, and how media supports the government. I also learned how our government surpress the media, how other governments surpress the media.
I love the part that talks about in the 1900's america developed the telephone as a mass means of communication. this is a "one to one" type of media.
Russia on the other hand? They developed the loudspeaker instead. a "one way, one to many" communication.
she shows us a story from our past- the New York Times publishing the pentagon papers. Its the age old debate "its treason to publish secret government workings, and can kill operatives in the field and give our enemies an advantage over us" versus "whistleblowers must be protected, because they are a check on government abuses"
I was too young to see that one play out- Nixon orchestrating treason charges against new york times, in an attempt to stem the leaks about his lies. It is treason to spill state secrets. It is often the way too, that treason happening by government officials can come to light.
Of course, that debate lives today with the Julian Assange issue- "Arrest that traitor!" vs "protect the whistleblower".
Its not that one view is right or wrong always. Its just that, that argument has swung back and forth many, many times. and sometimes protecting the government wins- and rightly so- and sometimes its just the freedom of information that suffers, and protects the guilty.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the 5 page tale of Social Drift- the idea that what is true, what is in debate, and what is completely taboo from debate in media, is constantly shifting. By looking at news from the 1900's, and pointing out what was "taboo" which today is now clearly discussed, helped me to see what we today consider taboo, and don't consider.
We live in a time of great change. Technology is changing the media game for good. I strongly urge all walks of life to buy this book. its a fair, balanced, and overall positive view on the world we live in, and its rich and varied world views.
The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media is an invitation for us to make positive change. Because how can we change what we loath, for the better, if we can not see that so much of what we see and hear in the Media is a reflection of ourselves, and thus, we have the power to change that which belongs to us. As long as we continue to think it's "them" and expect "them" to change, we are powerless.
Ms. Gladstone makes a truly important and an awakening statement with her deep insights about our relationship with "our" media; about how what we engage with in our Media reflects who we are, and how our yearning for what we engage with tells us a great deal about who we are; about the how and what we live for. It forces the question: "Where must I be at, to be thinking, this, engaging with this?"
In 1967, Marshall McLuhan opened our awareness to how " the medium is the massage ." Today, Brooke Gladstone extends McLuhan's and our vision further, by showing us how "the medium is the mirror."
This is one of the most important, and fun (a rare combination) reads and messages that I have come across in a very long time. Fresh thought. Thank you, Brooke Gladstone for your wonderful insights in: The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media .
I love this book!
Top reviews from other countries
If you liked Understanding Comics, you will probably like this excellent docu-comics.
The advantage of graphic nonfiction is, if it is done well, the information is conveyed with emotional impact and the writing is succinct. Happily Ms. Gladstone succeeds on both these points. A common disadvantage of the format is nothing is covered in depth, sometimes to the detriment of the topic at hand. Perhaps inevitably Ms. Gladstone falls prey to this pitfall. For example, Cognitive Dissonance, a concept first introduced by Leon Festinger in 1956, is covered by Ms. Gladstone in nine panels - mostly using Mr. Festinger himself, naturally. Perhaps devoting an entire book to the concept is overkill (although Leon published at least two and there are worthy others such as the more recent "Mistakes Were Made {but not by me}" by Tavris and Aronson) but nine panels hardly seems sufficient to grasp this important phenomena and its ramifications.
Nevertheless, Ms. Gladstone knows her topic and presents it well. The ending is a bit abrupt as if Ms. Gladstone ran out of ideas or hit a deadline but overall The Influencing Machine is informative, thought provoking and, as befits a graphic book, is fun to read. You never know - it just might whet your appetite to pursue the topic in greater detail. Or tune in her radio program.








