Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession by Michael S. Levy – Book Review
Have you ever wondered why we, as a people, are obsessed by with what others are doing – specifically, by celebrities that we don’t know and will most likely never meet?
Why are we so fascinated by what our favorite celebrities eat, drink, wear and who they date that entire industries have been built around reporting these things to us – while more important news goes unnoticed or gets swept under the rug?
Why do we spend so much of our time reading about celebrities, watching shows about them, purchasing merchandise that they promote, trying to emulate them, and looking for new ways to be entertained by them?
These are a few of the questions that clinical psychologist Michael S. Levy addresses in his new book, Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession: Understanding Our Addiction.
In Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession, Michael explores how our perception of who merits celebrity status has shifted over the past 100 years. In the past, we as a culture reserved celebrity status for individuals who achieved something of significance, and status was something that was bestowed over an individual over time, as their accomplishments grew. Examples of such individuals included notables such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi, to name a few.
In the 20th century, however, the influence of mass media began to shift our focus and perceptions of who was noteworthy based on who they featured in the news and how they reported the news.
Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession provides a fascinating look at issues such as why our society is obsessed with beauty – why we are so vulnerable to addiction – and why entertainment has become our primary preoccupation.
If you ever wonder about the impact that mass media has on your lives and our entire society at large, I recommend Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession to you!
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
About Michael S. Levy
Michael S. Levy, PhD is a clinical psychologist who is the director of substance use services at North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Massachusetts. He also maintains a private practice in psychotherapy in Andover, Massachusetts and is a lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has often been interviewed on radio and television. Levy has published numerous articles and book chapters, gives many lectures and workshops, and is the author of one previous book, Take Control of Your Drinking…And You May Not Need to Quit.
Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession – Book Tour
Create With Joy is delighted to participate in the Celebrity and Entertainment Obsession Book Tour, which is hosted by iRead Book Tours!
The Celebrity and Entertainment Obsession Book Tour runs from January 11 through 29, 2016.
Please visit the Celebrity and Entertainment ObsessionBook Tour Page to learn more about the author, to read guest posts and author interviews, and to see what other bloggers have to say about this book!
Resources
For More Information
- Visit Michael’s Website.
- Connect with Michael on Facebook and Twitter.
- Celebrity And Entertainment Obsession is available on Amazon.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from iRead Book Tours to review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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As I’ve gotten older, I have outgrown my need to follow a celebrity and to learn everything I can about that person. This book sounds very interesting!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Twitter: mommynificent
says:
Loved reading your thoughts on this book! I’m so glad you shared this at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com this week!
Tina