America
Like de Tocqueville before him, Baudrillard, a French social scientist, is in search of the American ethos. His little essay, however, lacks the substance, perspicacity, and originality of a Democracy in America . Rather, Baudrillard's analysis tends to be grandiloquent and sometimes hackneyed, as when he observes "Americans believe in facts, but not in facticity , " and "The cinema and TV are America's reality!" In addition, the book is overpriced. Not recommended. Kenneth F. Kister, Poynter Inst. for Media Studies, St. Petersburg, Fla.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.