Get a Life! : The Little Red Book of the White Dot

by David Burke

The authors of this book argue that television has always exemplified what is cheap and dehumanizing about modern life. Founders of the White Dot organization in the UK and USA, they claim that people spend too much time staring at the TV which is simply just another piece of furniture. This book is designed as a self-help guide to switching off the television and getting a life.

Genres: Nonfiction

257 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There are multiple authors by this name in the GR database.

See also: Fantasy author David Burke

David Burke is a documentary filmmaker and former 60 MINUTES writer/producer who came to Paris in 1986 for what he thought would be a year, but turned into more than twenty. Besides Writers in Paris, he has written two editions of HarperCollinss Access Paris, a travel guide to Mediterranean France, and numerous articles for magazines and web sites. He and his wife, producer/director Joanne Burke, have also made seven documentaries over these years and are working on a eighth.
He now divides his time between Paris and New York.

Reviews

[BookAmbler]

I haven't been that keen on TV for some years - probably since I first heard about, then noticed, 'Dumming Down' of the content.

In the first chapter the book lists the twelve most common myths about TV then goes on to explode them :-) eg television gives parents peace (oh, no it doesn't - it makes kids more needy and demanding!)

The rest of the book uncovers various statistics which the TV companies would prefer you didn't know, and analyses them.

Tho I've not quit TV completely - never that easy with a TV-loving partner - I watch far less than I used to.

UPDATE 2011: now TV-free and it's GREAT!!!

[Adrian Perez]

This is more of a re-read to gain some insights.