{"product_id":"2940170518142","title":"Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe now live in two Americas. Oneamp;mdash;now the minorityamp;mdash;functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The otheramp;mdash;the majorityamp;mdash;is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majorityamp;mdash;which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affectedamp;mdash;presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this \"other America,\" serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of Christopher Lasch's \u003ci\u003eThe Culture of Narcissism\u003c\/i\u003e and Neil Postman's \u003ci\u003eAmusing Ourselves to Death\u003c\/i\u003e, Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges navigates this cultureamp;mdash;attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremoniesamp;mdash;to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tantor Audio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47099940634864,"sku":"2940170518142","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170518142_p0.jpg?v=1763711315","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170518142","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}