Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokmon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied piper...
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reviews
May 31, 2011
Karen
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This is a terrific book that puts in sensible perspective irrational adult fears around kids and their play. Jones asks the question, why do so many healthy (psychologically and physically) 'normal' kids like fantasy violence and imaginary rough play so much? It's a great question which he then explores examining a range of pop culture forms from films, TV shows, video games and toys - from Star Wars to Harry Potter.
Fantasy is about escaping the strictures and controls of everyday life and More...
Fantasy is about escaping the strictures and controls of everyday life and More...
Aug 12, 2011
Tina
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This was an interesting read. I don't have kids, but it sounded like a good book nonetheless and I'm glad I read it. It actually gave me a unique perspective on why I liked the things I liked when I was a child and I can appreciate them in a different light.
Good discussion on how media is an outlet and how we need fantasy, even into adulthood. I especially liked his discussion of video games since I find gaming a perfect outlet for negative emotions. An artificial environment whe More...
Good discussion on how media is an outlet and how we need fantasy, even into adulthood. I especially liked his discussion of video games since I find gaming a perfect outlet for negative emotions. An artificial environment whe More...
Dec 04, 2011
Andrea
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I highly recommend this book for parents, psychology students, and teachers. I'm not even going to try to sum this book up in a few lines, because it is just that good. Suffice to say that it really put my mind at ease about my son's fascination with GI Joes and "war stuff" like military aircraft books. It is even applicable to those interested in sociology in that our fascination with these things as children continues into adulthood. It is a part of our society. I did a report o
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Nov 30, 2011
Mike (the Paladin)
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I've read on this subject often. As noted before I grew up in the '50s and had dozens of cap guns. I sported Fanner Fifty in the Two gun rig. I had the Buffalo Hunter set that came with a six-gun and Winchester that shot "Shootin' Shells" and came with a plastic skinning knife, complete with stag horn grips on gun and knife. Later I had plastic submachine guns and as I got older built scale models of well know firearms (try to find those today). I also played with plastic army men, cow
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Aug 22, 2011
Ashanti
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The book has a good premise and setup, but I am getting bored as the author reiterates the same information and over and over. I am reading this book to understand my industry better. I work as an animator and since the early 2000's the stories have focused on themes that concern boys. I am perplexed with the attraction to violence--especially explosions and wimpy heroes. This book is a window into young male psyche.
According to the author, boys need a fantasy monsters to conquer be More...
According to the author, boys need a fantasy monsters to conquer be More...
May 07, 2011
Christopher
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I'm not 100% sure how to feel about this book. Many sections do feel right on, speaking about the usefulness of violent and intense entertainment as catharsis for children. This calls all the way to Plato vs. Aristotle where Plato wanted to ban entertainers from his utopian Republic because they might give the populace dangerous ideas and Aristotle supporting katharsis (in the Greek).
Was I injured by my mother's "no guns" policy? I certainly worked around it... 1 squirt gu More...
Was I injured by my mother's "no guns" policy? I certainly worked around it... 1 squirt gu More...
May 17, 2011
Jamie
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You can't expect to agree with everything in a book like this, and I didn't. I needed to read on this topic, though, and I think I'll continue to do so. I would recommend this book to all parents with children entering their preschool years, but especially for parents who were like me- uncomfortable with toy weaponry, rough and tumble play, or the negative emotions their children are exploring. Reading Jones' perspective definitely helped me work through that.
Though this book helped me More...
Though this book helped me More...
Nov 09, 2009
Kathryn
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This is the book that made me chill out about Dan playing Call of Duty and the kids wanting to play "Bad Guys." He does a good job of digging into the studies that warn against media violence and explaining the way they were conducted and how the research isn't always what it seems.
I was really skeptical to read this book because I thought it was Dan trying to justify letting the kids play with wooden swords. It sort of was but I find that I agree with him. Fantasy vio More...
I was really skeptical to read this book because I thought it was Dan trying to justify letting the kids play with wooden swords. It sort of was but I find that I agree with him. Fantasy vio More...
Sep 04, 2008
Jamie
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The full title of the book here is Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence, and in it author Gerard Jones works out a thesis that exposure to violence --especially fantasy violence-- is not unhealthy to children, but actually critical to proper emotional, social, and mental development. It's the inverse of the "violent media makes violent kids" angle that most of us are used to hearing, and it's fairly interesting.
Basically, Gera More...
Basically, Gera More...
Aug 14, 2008
Jeremy
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Violent games, movies and comics are good for children according to the author of Killing Monsters, Gerard Jones, and blaming it for problems can affect emotional development. I'm not sure about the being good for children part, but he makes a good case for the importance of this type of thing while they are growing up. His biggest reason is that fantasy in media is a safe place for kids to learn how to deal with violence, fear and the emotions that go along with it. When they encounter these
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Oct 12, 2011
Ben
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While the intention of this book is to explain and explore the value of different types of violent entertainment for kids, I ended up gaining insight into myself. As Jones discusses the ways kids use violent entertainment to safely explore their own violent feelings, to find a sense of control in a chaotic and out of control world, to relieve stress in a risk free environment, I found myself realizing why I had been (and still am) drawn to this type of entertainment. Like almost everyone, ther
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Nov 27, 2008
Ross
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Brilliant rebuttal to the buck-passing that too often occurs when parents whish to absolve themselves from the responsibilities of child rearing by blaming media influences. Jones takes time to examine findings from various studies with the expressed interest in discovering what is useful to growing children, not just proving his opposition wrong. An important difference in focus, that.
Mar 30, 2011
Andrew
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Cogent, sophisticated arguments about the role of violence, fantasy and emotional coping mechanisms in growing children.
Jones asks deeper questions of why children are attracted to violence, and comes up with some convincing conclusions.
Jones asks deeper questions of why children are attracted to violence, and comes up with some convincing conclusions.
Aug 11, 2011
An excellent book that more parents should read. It questions the prevailing idea on media violence, and quite effectively. It definitely changed how I think about it.
Jan 21, 2009
Dena
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This book helped me understand why kids have violent fantasies and to separate my adult anxieties from my son's pretend play preferences.
Dec 15, 2011
Lisa
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This is a good read for parents worried about video game violence and how it affects their children.
May 29, 2011
Mel
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I used this book for my research paper on children's super-hero play. A fasinating read.
Jul 11, 2011
Evan
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Jones argues that fantasy violence is more than okay for children, it's helpful, perhaps essential. Although he does allow for people becoming trapped in fantasy and the need for balance, he sees a large problem with the adult world constantly judging what for many kids is an important form of release and self expression. Adults mistake fantasy play for actual violence and in the end, many kids are confused and frustrated. A very interesting read.
Aug 25, 2010
Claudia
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This book is an absolute must-read for anyone with kids, especially for those of us who have loudly proclaimed that they will never let toy guns in the house. The author shows how pretend violence is a vital tool for children to work out their fears, and that repressing all violent thoughts and urges is likely to do more harm than good.
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Mar 29, 2011
Joseph
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I finally finished this and am working on a review for my blog, which should be up soon!
UPDATE: Here is the <a href="review on my blog. Enjoy!
UPDATE: Here is the <a href="review on my blog. Enjoy!
Feb 16, 2008
Marla
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This book helped to explain why my shy, quiet, 4-year-old daughter enjoys playing with swords, knights, pirates, vikings and fighting in general and why these activities are valuable to her. I can even appreciate the value of video games and other media (in moderation).
Aug 07, 2008
K
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Reading this book definitely helped me become more comfortable with the imaginary violence I see in both my child and the children we see - though the author clearly has a comfort with media exposure for young children that I simply don't.
Jun 17, 2008
Jennifer
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A striking, convincing argument for why children (both boys and girls) need make-believe violence. As a teacher, I encounter difficulty in convincing fellow teachers that play fighting has positive values.
Nov 18, 2007
Mike
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If you wonder what the REAL effects of Bugs Bunny or G.I. Joe are on your kids (real or hypothetical), you should check this out.
Feb 27, 2008
still in process of reading it... very interesting so far.
makes me want to buy cap guns for my kids ;-)
makes me want to buy cap guns for my kids ;-)
Nov 06, 2009
I came across this book researching a paper on the effects of video game violence. Sounds interesting.
