Do tv shows like The Daily Show and online phenomena like The Obama Girl dumb down political conversations, or do they invite young adults to join the discussion? Exploring several developments at the intersection of politics and entertainment, this lively book provides great fodder for debating this topic, and college students especially will find it a compelling read.

Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural

As young citizens demonstrate a renewed engagement with the political world, the need for scholarly investigations into the popular avenues through which such engagements are encouraged and facilitated couldn't be greater. Kelso and Cogan move us beyond debates of legitimacy for such pop cultural forums, and instead provide an assemblage of thoughtful scholars who smartly interrogate the myriad mediated means through which young people encounter politics. Students will enjoy this book because it takes them, their media, and their politics seriously.

Jeffrey P. Jones, author of Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic Culture

An intriguing and insightful journey through the emerging forms of civic discourse. Well grounded in recent scholarship on political communication. . . .This volume provides an excellent starting point for informed discussion and future research. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews

Popular culture and political culture are all too often segregated and compartmentalized, when in fact they are altogether interdependent, and at times uniquely synergistic. Kelso and Cogan bridge a longstanding chasm in the scholarly literature with this groundbreaking anthology.

Lance A. Strate, President of the Media Ecology Association