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Play It Loud!

The Rebellious History of Music
by Sara Gilbert
64p. 978-0-75654-243-6.
COPY ISBN
Gr 6-10 These concise discussions of controversial pop-culture media will be inviting to casual readers and provide plenty of content for reports as well. Bright, bold backgrounds frame text boxes that are accompanied by large photographs. "You Can't Read This!" focuses on censorship and censored books, but only briefly discusses the subject of the subtitle, "Why Books Get Banned." With the plethora of censorship books piling up, this one can be skipped. "Gamers", the strongest title, covers the history of video games from Pong to Nintendo Wii. It discusses the expansion of the audience for the games, which now extends from cradle to grave, and the development of the ESRB rating system. "Play It Loud!" follows the history of music as a form of countercultural expression against oppression and the mainstream, highlighting the rebellion of artists from J. S. Bach to Tupac Shakur and focusing on the impact freedom of expression had on music and the time period. "Graphic Content", which covers the history of comics from short newspaper bits to the modern formats of graphic novels, manga, and Web comics, touches on censorship and the role of comic-book heroes like Captain America in portrayals of modern warfare."Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
From cutting-edge classical music, to blues and grunge, Gilbert superficially explores groundbreaking genres and musicians throughout history. Random text boxes (e.g., "Moshing to the Beat," "Brand Names and Bling") are awkwardly placed but entertaining. The scope of the subject is too large for the format and the chapter organization is disjointed, but this is nevertheless an adequate introduction. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

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