Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination by Susan J. Douglas

Listening In is the first in-depth history of how radio culture and content have kneaded and expanded the American psyche.

But Listening In is more than a history. It is also a reconsideration of what listening to radio has done to American culture in the twentieth century and how it has brought a completely new auditory dimension to our lives. Susan Douglas explores how listening has altered our day-to-day experiences and our own generational identities, cultivating different modes of listening in different eras.

Douglas reveals how radio has played a pivotal role in helping us imagine ourselves in invisible communities - of sports fans, Fred Allen devotees, rock'n'rollers, ham operators, Dittoheads - creating both deep cultural niches and broad national identities. Listening In is also a penetrating look at radio as a guiding force in shaping our views of race, gender roles, ethnic barriers, family dynamics, leadership, and the generation gap.

This first edition copy of Listening In is very good condition, the only marking is an inscription from a previous owner. Hardcover with dust jacket, dust jacket is also very good.